THE POISON TRAIN
(Michael O'Rourke)

This old town has had its day
All the people moved away
And the houses standing empty
In the dry and the dusty day
No one cares for this old town
Now the money's not around
And the railway lines are rusty
And the station's falling down

Chorus:
There's a light down the line
Let it shine, shine, let it shine
There's a camp down the way
All the fettlers will be coming home today

When the railway opened here
All the gutters flowed with beer
And the people stood beside the line
To watch and wave and cheer
All the speeches that were made
When the bosses smiled and said
'The good times are just beginning
Follow us and you'll go ahead'

Chorus

Well, they built the street so wide
It would be a thing of pride
To walk across it drunk
Or throw a stone to the other side
And the buildings grew so tall
You would tremble at the fall
But they've just dried out
And you would never know
There was anyone there at all

Chorus

I still hear the tall man say
To the children at their play
'You'd better go home early
And you'd better stay away
Stay away from the line
Can't you hear the railway humming
The grass has grown too tall
And the poison train is coming

Chorus

You feel sorry for the grass
All it did was grow too fast
All the weapons used against it
It was never made to last
And the man and his offsider
Are all dressed in black
As the poison train goes through the town
And blisters all the track

Chorus

Well, it never lasted long
Half the town was packed and gone
And everybody was afraid
To be left there alone
All the people stayed away
And there was no celebration
Nobody made a speech the day
They closed the railway station

Chorus

Published by Greenhouse Publications. Source: Roy Bailey 'New Directions in the Old' Fuse CFCD 402. Recorded by 'Mike O'Rourke on 'Flying Pieman' 1980.
PS.

The image of the 'Poison Train' is used by O'Rourke to describe the decay of outback towns that grew too quicly. The fast-growing grass around the railway tracks has to be burnt back.
^^