Mystery Train
The Band & Paul Butterfield Lyrics
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Train arrive, it's sixteen coaches long
Well, that long black train take my baby and gone
Mystery train, rollin' down the track
Mystery train, rollin' down the track
Well, it took my baby, people it won't be coming back
Train, train, rollin' 'round the bend
Well, it took my baby, people it won't be back again
Train arrive, it's sixteen coaches long
Train arrive, it's sixteen coaches long
Well, that long black train take my baby and gone
The lyrics to The Band & Paul Butterfield's song "Mystery Train" paint a picture of a long train rolling down the track taking the singer's loved one away from them. The repeated verses of "Train arrive, it's sixteen coaches long" emphasize the enormity of the train and the finality of the loved one's departure. The use of the phrase "mystery train" adds an element of uncertainty and intrigue, as the singer is left wondering where the train is headed and why their loved one had to leave.
The repetition of the lines "Well, it took my baby, people it won't be coming back" and "Well, that long black train take my baby and gone" create a mournful tone and express the singer's deep sense of loss. The use of the word "baby" adds a level of tenderness and intimacy to the lyrics, making the loss all the more palpable.
Overall, "Mystery Train" is a classic blues song that speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and longing. The train symbolizes the inevitability of change and the singer's inability to control the situation, making the loss all the more painful.
Line by Line Meaning
Train arrive, it's sixteen coaches long
A train has arrived with sixteen cars and it is long.
Well, that long black train take my baby and gone
My loved one has left on the train and I don't know where they are going.
Mystery train, rollin' down the track
An unknown train is moving along the tracks.
Well, it took my baby, people it won't be coming back
My loved one has left on the train and they will not be returning.
Train, train, rollin' 'round the bend
The train is rounding a bend in the tracks.
Well, it took my baby, people it won't be back again
My loved one has left on the train and they will not be returning.
Train arrive, it's sixteen coaches long
A train has arrived with sixteen cars and it is long.
Well, that long black train take my baby and gone
My loved one has left on the train and I don't know where they are going.
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Herman Parker Jr., Sam Phillips
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@brotzmannsax
Butter was the blues, and the best damn harp player ever!
@davedoyle9623
Paul and Levon playing their hearts out. I remember this stuff! They called it MUSIC!!!!
@G8GT364CI
You can always tell Butterfield's harp from everyone else. He had an unbelievable sound.
@jquery2774
Yup, Butterfield had unbelievable sound, and unbelievable genius. He did incredible things on the harp which nobody has matched to this day. They try, and they try hard but so far not so much. Have heard plenty of musicians who had better notes and all, but somehow they didn't actually have his genius. They had better and quicker notes and everything else, but they did not have the MAGIC he had. You can't copy it and you can't fake it. Maybe it comes along once every few centuries or something, but nobody else had it.
I have tried for years and never even got close. One thing I might remark is that even Butterfield said,
"You have to play your own stuff. You can't play somebody else's notes and expect it to sound good." It's a paraphrase but there is a lot of truth in that.
I have problems with it because I have really good ears and can pick up a lot of things; phrases and note for note but that is not the same thing. As actually being able to play. maybe I can pick up Butterield because I stuided him for so long, Maybe I don't actually have the ears I imagined. I can pick up tons of harmonica players over the radio. But i can't hold on to it for even a few hours.
Probably something to do with having serious brain injuries somewhere in the past.
Maybe not. How the fuck would I know? You know you got 'em, but you don't know exactly what they are.
Yes, I would like to know, but is it much worse than having to deliver on a planet you don't really even exist on in any way?
Kinda strange; being born on top notch intelligence (which you couldn't even deal with as the ideas flash by you faster than a quick running river and you cry for relief) and having to deal with yourself in lesser intelligence as the years roll by to your inevitable demise.
@silverside5926
Totally agree
@tattyshoesshigure5731
This is such a phenomenal version of MysteryTrain... Paul Butterfield’s harp playing is just amazing!
@franklmac
Folks this is as good as it gets!
@randalldickson6633
Testify!
@johnbailey9864
Nothing better
@ingriddirty9012
Levon helm is a great singer!