The band remained on Lair's show until 1983, at which point they struck out on their own. Throughout the 1980s and '90s, the Girls were a popular attraction on the bluegrass and folk festival circuit. By 1991, the lineup included Simmons, banjoist Ramona Church Taylor, vocalist and guitarist Dale Ann Bradley, and Pam Perry on vocals and mandolin. This lineup released 1994's The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore as well as Ain't Love a Good thing a year later. The mandolin of Deanie Richardson replaced Perry's for 1996's Everything You Do, but Perry and Richardson both appeared on Our Point of View two years later. By this point, Bradley and Simmons were playing in another combo, simply called Coon Creek. Teenage fiddling sensation Kati Penn also contributed to latter-day NCCG recordings. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
Westbound Train
New Coon Creek Girls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stopped down by the depot this morning
But the train had already gone
The man said the train
just coasted on through
Dropped the mail and moved on
If he's ever coming back
I wish it was now that he did
I checked every train sunshine or rain
I guess he don't like westbound trains
He boarded an eastbound last season
And this is the place where I stood
And waved as he rode off into the sunrise
He could ride one back if he would
repeat chorus twice
The song "Westbound Train" by New Coon Creek Girls is a melancholic ballad about a woman waiting for her lover to come back. She stands by the depot every morning hoping to see him on a westbound train, but to no avail. The lyrics suggest that the man may have ridden an eastbound train in the past, leaving the woman behind to face an uncertain future. The woman is nostalgic about the moments they spent together when he rode away into the sunrise. The chorus repeats the theme of the song and the idea that the man may not like westbound trains, which could be a metaphor for his unwillingness to return to the woman's side.
The song's lyrics capture the essence of longing and lost love. The woman's sense of despair and hopelessness is palpable, and the imagery of trains adds to the melancholic mood of the song. The lyrics suggest that even though the woman knows that the man may not come back, she is still waiting for him. The song's meaning may apply to anyone who has ever experienced the pain of waiting for someone who may never return.
Line by Line Meaning
I guess he don't like westbound trains
It seems that the person the singer is waiting for prefer to take trains going eastward, and not the ones going westward.
Stopped down by the depot this morning
The singer went to the train station earlier today.
But the train had already gone
The train that the singer's awaited person may have taken has already left.
The man said the train just coasted on through
Someone at the station told the singer that the train went past without stopping.
Dropped the mail and moved on
The train only stopped briefly to deliver the mail and continued on its journey.
If he's ever coming back
The singer is uncertain if the person they're waiting for will even return.
I wish it was now that he did
The singer hopes that the person will show up soon.
I checked every train sunshine or rain
The singer has been keeping tabs on trains that stop at the station, regardless of the weather conditions.
He boarded an eastbound last season
The person the singer is waiting for took an eastbound train earlier this year.
And this is the place where I stood
The singer is currently in the same position where they were left the last time the person left.
And waved as he rode off into the sunrise
The singer bid farewell to the person as they left, and the sunrise marked the beginning of a new day without them.
He could ride one back if he would
The singer is hoping that the person chooses to take a train back to where they departed from, and not let distance take over.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BUDDY CANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind