THE BALLAD OF JOHN TRAIN
(John Train/Phil Ochs)

Phil Ochs checked into the Chelsea Hotel,
There was blood on his clothes and they were dirty.
I could see by his face he was not feeling well,
He'd been to one too many parties.
He walked in the lobby a picture of doom,
It was plain to see he'd been a-drinkin'
I had to follow him up to his room,
To find out what he was thinking
"Train, Train, Train"
From the outlaw in his brain
But he's still the same refrain

He walked in his room and he fell on the floor
Hanging in his hangover
Now the act from the stage he plays on the street
Handing out piles of money
His audience now is the bums that he meets
Is he a phony or funny?

Notes: I don't know why I didn't think of this one before. - It is well documented that Phil suffered from manic depression, and in 1975 when he had descended into a state of drunken, hostile depression, he attempted to escape reality by taking on a different persona.   This persona was named John Butler Train, and as Phil explained later "On the first day of summer 1975, Phil Ochs was murdered in the Chelsea Hotel by John Train who is speaking now………." During this period, Larry Sloman, a friend, encouraged Phil to work through this episode by writing songs. One of the songs he wrote as John Train was this one and it was recorded by Larry Sloman.
RP jan09