His songs have been performed by a number of other musicians including "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton,"Cajun Moon" by Randy Crawford, "Clyde" and "Louisiana Women" by Waylon Jennings, "Magnolia" by Jai, "Bringing It Back" by Kansas, "Call Me the Breeze" and "I Got the Same Old Blues" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, "I'd Like to Love You, Baby" by Tom Petty, "Travelin' Light" and "Ride Me High" by Widespread Panic, "Tijuana" by Harry Manx, "Sensitive Kind" by Carlos Santana, "Cajun Moon" by Herbie Mann with Cissy Houston, and "Same Old Blues" by Captain Beefheart.
Cale was born on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was raised in Tulsa and graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1956. Along with a number of other young Tulsa musicians, Cale moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s, where he first worked as a studio engineer.
The Leathercoated Minds was a 1966-67 psychedelic studio-based band masterminded largely by Snuff Garrett and J J Cale. The band produced one album, A Trip down the Sunset Strip, co-produced by Cale and Garrett
Finding little success as a recording artist, he later returned to Tulsa and was considering giving up the music business until Clapton recorded "After Midnight" in 1970. His first album, Naturally, established his style, described by Los Angeles Times writer Richard Cromelin as a "unique hybrid of blues, folk and jazz, marked by relaxed grooves and Cale's fluid guitar and laconic vocals. His early use of drum machines and his unconventional mixes lend a distinctive and timeless quality to his work and set him apart from the pack of Americana roots-music purists."
Some sources incorrectly give his real name as "Jean-Jacques Cale". In the 2006 documentary, To Tulsa and Back: On Tour with J.J. Cale, Cale talks about Elmer Valentine, co-owner of the Sunset Strip nightclub Whisky à GoGo, who employed him in the mid-1960s, being the one that came up with the "JJ" moniker to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground's John Cale. Rocky Frisco tells the same version of the story mentioning the other John Cale but without further detail.
His biggest U.S. hit single, Crazy Mama, peaked at #22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1972. During the 2006 documentary film To Tulsa and Back Cale recounts the story of being offered the opportunity to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand to promote the song, which would have moved the song higher on the charts. Cale declined when told he could not bring his band to the taping and would be required to lip-sync the words to the song.
Cale died on Friday, July 26, 2013, at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, California, after suffering a heart attack.
Lonesome Train
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lonesome train, ride all day
Since I lost my woman, I lost my way
Mr Conductor, where is this train bound
Mr Conductor, where is this train bound
Is it headed up, is it headed down
Lucky for me, I'm on the sunny side
Lucky for me, I'm on the sunny side
Lonesome train, ride all day
Lonesome train, ride all day
Since I lost my woman, I lost my way
In J.J. Cale's song Lonesome Train, the lyrics paint a picture of a man who has lost his way since losing his woman. He sings about a feeling of isolation and loneliness, as he rides the train aimlessly. He addresses the conductor, wondering where they are headed and whether the train is going up or down. But despite his uncertainty, he feels fortunate to be on the sunny side, even in the midst of his lonesome train ride.
The lyrics of this song are simple and straightforward, but they convey a deep sense of melancholy and resignation. The repetition of the phrase "lonesome train, ride all day" reinforces the feeling of being trapped and unable to escape his sadness. The contrast between the sunny side and the lonesome ride adds complexity to the lyrics, suggesting that even in the darkest moments there is still a glimmer of hope.
Overall, Lonesome Train is a poignant song that captures the essence of heartbreak and the struggle to find one's way back to a happier place.
Line by Line Meaning
Lonesome train, ride all day
The train on which I find myself is ridden with loneliness, traveling ceaselessly through my days.
Lonesome train, ride all day
The solitude of my journey continues, without respite or end in sight.
Since I lost my woman, I lost my way
The absence of the woman who completed me has left me adrift without direction or purpose.
Mr Conductor, where is this train bound
I implore the conductor of this lonesome train to reveal its destination to me so that I may come to know where my suffering may end.
Mr Conductor, where is this train bound
I seek guidance from the conductor of this train in the hopes of discovering if it travels towards redemption or doom.
Is it headed up, is it headed down
Can this train persevere through the trials of its journey and rise above the emptiness within me or simply succumb and descend into further loneliness.
Lucky for me, I'm on the sunny side
Fortune has shone upon me, as I find myself on the brighter side of this continual darkness.
Lucky for me, I'm on the sunny side
Despite the circumstances of my situation, I cling to the hope found in even the smallest glimpses of light.
Since I lost my woman, it's a lonesome ride
The void left in me by the loss of my lover remains unfulfilled, making my journey all the more lonely and difficult.
Lonesome train, ride all day
The train on which I find myself is ridden with loneliness, traveling ceaselessly through my days.
Lonesome train, ride all day
The solitude of my journey continues, without respite or end in sight.
Since I lost my woman, I lost my way
The absence of the woman who completed me has left me adrift without direction or purpose.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J J CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind