Traineater
The Book Of Knots Lyrics
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She's had her last meal
And now her first walk through town
Well he watched her roll, her head hung down
Towards the mill and that awful sound
Tore down old Number Six
A last trip down the tracks
To the fires, to the fires
The Book Of Knots's song Traineater tells the story of a train named Old No. 6 that has reached the end of its life. The lyrics suggest that the train is being taken apart and burned, possibly as scrap metal or for fuel. The despondent tone of the lyrics is reinforced by the image of the train's head hanging down as it is pulled towards its destruction. The use of trains as a metaphor for mortality and the passing of time is a common theme in American folk music, and Traineater offers a haunting and powerful iteration of this tradition.
The song's sparse instrumentation, with its minimalist drum beats and tense guitar lines, creates a sense of imminent danger and adds to the overall grim and foreboding mood. The lyrics are delivered with a weary, almost defeated cadence, adding to the sense of despair and loss in the song. The final lines, "To the fires, to the fires," are a chilling reminder of the train's ultimate fate and its final journey down the tracks to its destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
Old No. 6, she's going down
A reference to an old locomotive train that is going to be retired or destroyed
She's had her last meal
The locomotive has been used for the last time and has consumed its last batch of fuel
And now her first walk through town
The train will be carried through town on its final journey, without its own power or control
Well he watched her roll, her head hung down
An observer sees the train moving slowly and becoming increasingly somber in appearance
Towards the mill and that awful sound
The train is approaching a facility, likely for destruction, where there is a disconcerting noise or process taking place
Tore down old Number Six
The locomotive has been dismantled or destroyed completely
And strapped her to the carts
The remaining pieces of the train are being loaded on carts or trucks for transport elsewhere
A last trip down the tracks
The final movement of the train's components along the rails from its original location
To the fires, to the fires
The destination of the train parts is a fiery end, possibly in a furnace or as scrap metal
Contributed by Cooper O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.