Tom Russell (born in Los Angeles in either 1947 or 1948) is an American sin… Read Full Bio ↴Tom Russell (born in Los Angeles in either 1947 or 1948) is an American singer-songwriter from California, currently living in El Paso, Texas. His music incorporates elements of folk, traditional country & western, border and cowboy music of the American West. Russell's songs have been recorded by artists such as Johnny Cash, Ian Tyson, Nanci Griffith, Dave Alvin and others. In addition to his music, he is also an artist and published author.

In the 1980s Russell made four albums credited to the Tom Russell Band. These featured Andrew Hardin and accordionist Fats Kaplin.

In the 1990s Russell made a number of solo albums, collaborated with blues singer Barrence Whitfield on two albums, and also recorded an acoustic album mixing original material with his favorite cowboy-themed songs. His albums include several guest appearances from other folk, country, and Americana artists, such as Chris Gaffney and Dave Alvin. His song "Outbound Plane", co-written with Nanci Griffith, became a Top Ten country hit for Suzy Bogguss. His most significant album from this period is the 1999 folk opera, The Man From God Knows Where.

His more recent albums include "Blood and Candle Smoke" (2009) and "Mesabi" (2011).

Lord of the Trains
Tom Russell Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well I met him in Chicago outside the Union Station
He was pickin' up the empties in the rain
He said, "May I introduce myself and can you spare a dollar?
They call me the Lord of the Trains
Yeah, they call me the Lord of the Trains."

He said, "Friend, you see before you an historic apparition
I'm the last surviving hobo in the game

And although they may have done away with all that I held sacred
I am still the Lord of the Trains...
Yeah, there will always be a Lord of the Trains."

"But there ain't no more cabooses on them rattlers anymore
No hobo jungles up in Coeur d'Alene
Ain't no Midnight Ghost that haunts the Eastern corridor
But I'm still the Lord of the Trains
Yeah, there will always be a Lord of the Trains."

He said, "I even miss the bad wine, the bad times and the bulls
Them yard detectives, they all knew my name
And on every bunk in every cell in every jail in Dixie
I carved the crossed initials of my name
That's the mark of the Lord of the Trains."

"But now all the 'bos and railroad bums are gone with the cabooses
Tell me, mister isn't it a shame?
Cause for every little boy was hypnotized by countin' boxcars
I was that hobo wavin' from the train.
I waved a blessing from the Lord of the Trains."

"But there ain't no more cabooses on them rattlers anymore
No hobo jungles up in Coeur d'Alene
Ain't no Midnight Ghost that haunts the Eastern corridor
But I'm still the Lord of the Trains
Yeah, there will always be a Lord of the Trains."

So I handed him a dollar and I thanked him for his story
And I watched him disappearin' in the rain
He was headin' towards the land of hobo jungles and cabooses
Where he was still the Lord of the Trains
Where he'll always be a Lord of the Trains

"But there ain't no more cabooses on them rattlers anymore
No hobo jungles up in Coeur d'Alene
Ain't no Midnight Ghost that haunts the Eastern corridor
But he's still the Lord of the Trains
Yeah, he'll always be a Lord of the Trains."

Heh, I was that little boy was hypnotized by countin' boxcars

I finally met the Lord of the Trains
Yeh, I finally met the Lord of the Trains

Overall Meaning

Tom Russell's song "Lord of the Trains" is a powerful tribute to a vanishing way of life - the life of a hobo or a wanderer, who rode the trains and lived a nomadic existence. The singer of the song meets a man outside of Union Station in Chicago, who calls himself the "Lord of the Trains". He is the last surviving hobo, and although there are no more cabooses on the trains and no more hobo jungles up in Coeur d'Alene, he is still the Lord of the Trains. He reminisces about the bad wine, the bad times, and the yard detectives who used to know him by name. He talks about carving his initials on every bunk in every cell in every jail in Dixie, leaving the "mark of the Lord of the Trains".

The song is an elegy for a way of life that is disappearing. The hobo lifestyle, with its camaraderie, freedom, and adventure, is being replaced by a more ordered and settled existence. The Lord of the Trains recognizes that his way of life is passing away, but he still clings to the identity that it gave him - the identity of a lord, a ruler, of the trains. The song is a meditation on the enduring power of identity, even as the things that gave rise to that identity fade away.

Line by Line Meaning

Well I met him in Chicago outside the Union Station
I met the Lord of the Trains outside the Union Station in Chicago

He was pickin' up the empties in the rain
He was collecting empty train cars in the rain

He said, "May I introduce myself and can you spare a dollar?
The Lord of the Trains introduced himself and asked for a dollar

They call me the Lord of the Trains Yeah, they call me the Lord of the Trains."
He's known as the Lord of the Trains

"Friend, you see before you an historic apparition
He's a historic figure

I'm the last surviving hobo in the game
He's the only surviving homeless traveler

And although they may have done away with all that I held sacred
Although much of what he valued is gone

I am still the Lord of the Trains...
He's still the Lord of the Trains

"But there ain't no more cabooses on them rattlers anymore
Train cars no longer have cabooses

No hobo jungles up in Coeur d'Alene
There are no more homeless camps in Coeur d'Alene

Ain't no Midnight Ghost that haunts the Eastern corridor
The legendary Midnight Ghost no longer rides the Eastern corridor

But I'm still the Lord of the Trains Yeah, there will always be a Lord of the Trains."
Despite the changes, he's still the Lord of the Trains

"I even miss the bad wine, the bad times and the bulls
He misses the difficult aspects of his life, including police officers

Them yard detectives, they all knew my name
The yard detectives were familiar with him

And on every bunk in every cell in every jail in Dixie
He left his mark in every jail cell in the South

I carved the crossed initials of my name
He left his initials in the form of a cross

That's the mark of the Lord of the Trains."
His mark is known as the mark of the Lord of the Trains

"But now all the 'bos and railroad bums are gone with the cabooses
Homeless travelers and train cars with cabooses are gone

Tell me, mister isn't it a shame?
He thinks it's a shame

Cause for every little boy was hypnotized by countin' boxcars
He was the one waving from the train that little boys counted boxcars on

I was that hobo wavin' from the train.
He was the one waving from the train

I waved a blessing from the Lord of the Trains."
He waved a blessing as the Lord of the Trains

So I handed him a dollar and I thanked him for his story
I gave him a dollar and thanked him for his story

And I watched him disappearin' in the rain
I watched him vanish into the rain

He was headin' towards the land of hobo jungles and cabooses
He was going towards the place where homeless camps and train cabooses still exist

Where he was still the Lord of the Trains Where he'll always be a Lord of the Trains
He's still and will always be the Lord of the Trains in that place

"Heh, I was that little boy was hypnotized by countin' boxcars
The singer was the little boy who counted boxcars

I finally met the Lord of the Trains
The artist finally met the Lord of the Trains

Yeh, I finally met the Lord of the Trains
The artist reaffirms that they finally met the Lord of the Trains

Contributed by Eli F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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