Thompson's musical style, characterized as Honky Tonk Swing, is a mixture of big-band instrumentation, fiddle and steel guitar that supports his distinctive, gravelly baritone vocals on songs he often writes himself. His backing band, The Brazos Valley Boys, was voted the No.1 Country Western Band for 14 years in a row by Billboard Magazine.
He decided to pursue his musical talent after serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II as a radioman and studying electrical engineering at the university level. His first single was "Whoa Sailor" in 1946. The year 1952 brought his first #1 disc, "The Wild Side of Life", which contained the memorable line "I didn't know God made honky-tonk angels" (which inspired the Kitty Wells response, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels"). Other hits followed in quick succession in the 1950s and 1960s. Although not as prominent in later decades, he has remained an active and respected performer in the field, finding new audiences as a result of the resurgence of a harder-edged sound in country music.
Hank Thompson was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997. He was born 3 September 1925 in Waco, Texas, and passed away at home in Keller, Texas, on 6 November 2007, just four days after cancelling his final tour.
This Train
Hank Thompson Lyrics
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The music of her laughter is a thing of yesterday
The patter of her footsteps when she'd meet me at the door
The smiling face I loved to see is gone forever more
I see a cozy love seat when we used to sit and talk
My tears fall on the carper where my sweet baby used to walk
A dozen other women I might get to take her place
But none to touch her sweetness, none would have her grace
When her footsteps pleaded from me, it cut me like a sword
A goodbye told me, she was gone, my baby I adore
I see a cozy love seat when we used to sit and talk
My tears fall on the carper where my sweet baby used to walk
Hank Thompson’s This Train is a song about loss and heartbreak. In this song, the singer laments about how he feels an emptiness in every room since his lover has gone away. He misses the music of her laughter and the sound of her footsteps. He remembers their cozy love seat where they used to sit and talk, and now it only serves as a reminder of the love he lost. He tries to move on by considering the idea of finding someone else but quickly realizes that no one can replace the sweetness and grace of his lost love’s footsteps. The goodbye from his baby cut him like a sword and left him with nothing more than memories of a love story that ended abruptly.
The song is full of pathos that feels sincere and emotional. The singer’s mourning over his loss is vividly described through his words. The melancholy tone of the song is further enhanced by the slow tempo and the gentle instrumentation that mirrors the sadness in the singer’s heart. Ultimately, This Train is a song about the pain of losing someone that meant everything to you and not being able to fill that void.
Line by Line Meaning
Every room seems empty now since she's gone away
The absence of my love seems to have emptied out each and every room.
The music of her laughter is a thing of yesterday
The sweet sound of her laughter is now just a distant memory.
The patter of her footsteps when she'd meet me at the door
Her soft footsteps when she greeted me at the door have stopped echoing in my ears.
The smiling face I loved to see is gone forever more
I can no longer see the smiling face of the one I loved, for she has gone forever.
I see a cozy love seat when we used to sit and talk
Each time I see the love seat, I am reminded of our conversations and how we used to sit together.
My tears fall on the carpet where my sweet baby used to walk
As I reminisce about the past, tears fall from my eyes onto the carpet where my love used to walk.
A dozen other women I might get to take her place
Though I may have the opportunity to pursue many other women, none of them can compare to my sweet baby.
But none to touch her sweetness, none would have her grace
None of the women I might meet could ever match her sweetness or grace.
When her footsteps pleaded from me, it cut me like a sword
Whenever she begged me with her footsteps, it was like a sharp sword piercing my heart.
A goodbye told me, she was gone, my baby I adore
When she said goodbye, I knew she was gone, and my love for her remains strong.
I see a cozy love seat when we used to sit and talk
Whenever I look at the love seat, it reminds me of our conversations and how we used to enjoy each other's company.
My tears fall on the carpet where my sweet baby used to walk
As I miss my love, tears fall on the carpet where she used to walk, a constant reminder of my loss.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: TRADITIONAL, PETER SEEGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@janetwade2015
Miss all this kind of music
@boga5014
Hank was so good on the guitar... Love the start when it was just him.
@t4texastom587
Several legends here obviously.
R . I. P.
Hank Thompson 🎸
Roy Clark 🎸
Jimmy Dean
Molly Bee
@OffShoreSniper
God bless you for sharing this genre with the world!
@sylviadegroot737
Love this song!
I really like that Martin D-28!
@grahammcnamara4803
Real Country music. Wow!
@ronniewatkins
Great video!!!
@RoryVanucchi
Great song by a master
@HP_J78
Thanks a lot for this video!