I saw the sky fill up with engine
Heard the world fill up with noise
Laid a penny on the track, got a flapjack back
As the driver waved to the boys
I watched the people at the window
From the bushes as the diner flew by
Now I look from the window of the diner
For a kid with hungry eyes

This is a train song
It's a song about gettin' lost
It's a song about what that cost
This is a train song
For birds that are stuck on the ground
For ears that only listen
For distant sounds

Just me and the stars on a flatcar
As the train pulled into Schrieber town
Cop saw me jump and I was runnin'
I was scared he's gonna run me down
Now I see the porter smilin' to my left hand
As he's lookin' at the money
That I'm holdin' in my right
And I think how it's nice he wants to know my name
And I laugh out the window at the night

This is a train song
It's a song about gettin' lost
It's a song about what that cost
This is a train song
For birds that are stuck on the ground
For ears that only listen
For distant sounds

Hear the mourning of the midnight whistle
Hear the ringin' of the railroad sign
On the double street high line
They say every railroad line has a bad side
Where they make all the poor people stay
Though some of the bad ones
Might make it across
That train passes by anyway

This is a train song
It's a song about gettin' lost
It's a song about what that cost
This is a train song
For birds that are stuck on the ground
For ears that only listen
For distant sounds