JOHN TRAIN
(Matt Wixson)

Well you can see me coming, I'm roaring down the track
My pants are two weeks dirty with a pipe stuffed down the back
A reflection of a life that never quite made history
You all know my old friend Bobby but you don't remember

My name is Train, John Train
My name is Train, John Train

If you're wondering where I come from, brother I'd be glad to tell
Oh I start my biography at the Chelsea Hotel
That's where I committed murder back in 1975
When two men walked on in, but I'm the one that's still alive

My name is Train, John Train
My name is Train, John Train

It used to be so easy, no I didn't need to try
The CIA is after me, so is the FBI
Now I'm wallowing in madness, all the glory days behind
And I thought a little homicide might help me clear my mind

My name is Train, John Train
My name is Train, John Train

Well you can see me coming, I'm roaring down the track
My pants are two weeks dirty with a pipe stuffed down the back
A reflection of a life that never quite made history
You all know my old friend Bobby but you don't remember me

My name is Train, John Train
My name is Train, John Train

Notes:
Features on the CD "Honest Living" (Open Hand Records) 2009.
Here is what Matt had to say about the song:
"I know I wrote the song in the summer of 2009, shortly after finishing There But for Fortune: The Life of Phil Ochs by Michael Schumacher. The tragic character of John Train seemed perfect for an "outlaw country" kind of narrative. I think I also see some of myself in Phil's alter ego, which seems to be a manifestation of mental illness of course but also frustration with an unsatisfying career for Phil. I hope I never go down that same path, of course, but sometimes I worry. The recording, of course, is actually a reggae song, in the style reggae was played at the end of the 1960's, but I think the country feel of the songwriting still comes through strong."

RP Jun2010