Train songs have been a theme of musicians for 2 centuries and trains continue to inspire songwriters. 

 

 

History:

 

The earliest recorded song, The Carrolton March" dates back to 1828 and was written by Arthur Clifton to reflect on the construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The second song "written for theoccasion, "Rail Road March" by Charles Meineke, was copyrighted 2 days after Clifton's, one day before the July 4th festivities" (From Wikipedia). 

 

 

1. Links to Railroad inspired compositions:

 

 

• 2:10 Train (Tom Campbell / Linda Albertano)

• 2:19 (Tom Waits)

• 2:19 Blues (Mama Desdunes)

• 30 Miles of Railroad Track (Burt Bacharach, Bob Hillard)

• 500 Miles (Hedy West)

• 9 to 5 "Morning Train" (Sheena Easton)

• 900 Miles (Woodie Guthrie,Traditional)

• Across the Track Blues (Duke Ellington)

• Ain't No Brakeman (Fontain Brown)

• All Aboard (Muddy Waters)

• All Night Train (The Allman Brothers Band)

• Another Journey By Train (The Cure)

• Another Town, Another Train (ABBA)

• At The Station (Joe Walsh)

• Back Back Train (Mississipi Fred McDowell)

• Beat it Down the Line (Jesse Fuller)

• Big Train (Davi Lee Roth)

• Blue Train (Linda Ronstadt)

• Blue Train (Kenny Rogers)

• Blue Train (Robert Plant)

• Blues in the Night (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

• Box Car (Neil Young)

• The Brakeman's Blues (Jimmie Rodgers)

• Broke Down Engine (Blind Willie McTell)

• Canadian Pacific (Ray Griff)

• Canadian Railroad Trilogy (Gordon Lightfoot)

• Casey Jones (Eddie Newton, T. Lawrence Seibert)

• Casey Jones (the Greatful Dead)

• Catch That Train (America)

• Chattanooga Choo Choo (Harry Warren, Mack Gordon)

• Choo Choo Ch'Boogie (Denver Darling, Milt Gabler, Vaughn Horton, Louis Jordon)

• Crazy Train (Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhodes, Bob Daisley)

• Cross Tie Walker (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

• Dark Hollow (Bill Browning)

• Destination Victoria Station (Johnny Cash)

• Dixie Flyer (Randy Newman)

• Downbound Train (Bruce Springsteen)

• Downtown Train (Tom Waits)

• Down There By The Train (Tom Waits)

• Driving the Last Spike (Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford)

• Driver 8 (R.E.M)

• Electric Trains (Glenn Tilbrook, Chris Difford)

• Evening Train (Van Morrison)

• Fast Freight (Richie Valens)

• First Train Home (Fleetwood Mac)

• Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash)

• Freight Train (Elizabeth Cotton)

• Freight Train Boogie (Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield)

• The Gambler (Don Schlitz)

• Get on Board Little Children (John M. Chamberlain)

• Ghost Train (The Counting Crows)

• Glory Train (JohnnyRivers)

• Gone Dead Train(George Thorogood)

• Heartbreak Express (Dolly Parton)

• Hobo You Can't Ride This Train (Louis Armstrong)

• Homebound Train (Jon Bon Jovi, Richoie Sambora)

• Homeward Bound (Simon and Garfunkel)

• Hot Rails to Hell (Blue Oyster Cult)

• How Long How Long Blues (Leroy Carr)

• I.G.Y (Donald Fagan)

• I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow (Hankj Williams)

• I'm Alabama Bound (Robert Hoffman)

• I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome (Bill Monroe, Hank Williams)

• I'm Leavin' on the Midnight Train (Lead Belly)

• I'm Movin' On (Hank Snow)

• I'm on Fire (Bruce Springsteen)

• In the Baggage Coach Ahead (Gussie Davis)

• In the Pines (Traditional, Nirvana)

• Into You Like a Train (Psychedelic Furs)

• It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (Bob Dylan)

• I've Been Working on the Railroad (Traditional)

• Jack Straw (Bob Weir, Robert Hunter)

• John Henry Blues

• Just Another Whistle Stop (Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson)

• Just Like This Train (Joni Mitchell)

• Last Fair Deal Gone Down (Robert Johnson)

• Last of the Steam Powered Trains (Ray Davies)

• Last Train (Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White)

• Last Train Home (Pat Metheny)

• Last Train to Clarkesville (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)

• Last Train to London (Jeff Lynne)

• Late for the Train (John Maher, Pete Shelley, Steve Diggle, Steve Garvey)

• Let it Rock (Chuck Berry)

• Life's Railway to Heaven (M.E. Abbey, Charles Davis Tillman)

• Little Red Caboose (Traditional)

• The Loco-Motion (Gerry Goffin, Carole King)

• Lonesome Train (J.J. Cale)

• Lonesome Whistle (Jimmie Davis, Hank Williams)

• Long Lost John (John Lennon)

• Long Train Runnin' (Tom Johnson)

• Long Twin Silver Line (Bob Seger)

• Love in Vain (Robert Johnson)

• Love on a Blue Train (Sheila E)

• Love Train (Gamble and Huff)

• Marraresh Express (Graham Nash)

• Mean Old Frisco (Eric Clapton)

• Mean Old Train (John Lee Hooker)

• The Metro (Berlin)

• Midnight Flyer (Eagles)

• Midnight Special (Traditional)

• Midnight Train (Micky Dolenz)

• Midnight Train to Georgia (Jim Weatherly)

• Money and the Engineer (Jesse Fuller)

• Morningtown Ride (Malvina Reynolds)

• M.T.A. (Jaqueline Steiner, Bess Lomax Hawes)

• Mystery Train (Junior parker, Sam Phillips)

• Never Gonna Stop This Train (James Keelaghan)

• New Dehli Freight Train (Terry Allen)

• New River Train (Carson Robison)

• New Train (John Prine)

• New York Central (James Brian Coffey)

• New York Trains (Woodie Guthrie)

• Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Robbie Robertson)

• Night Train (Guns and Roses)

• Night Train (Steve Winwood)

• Night Train to Memphis ( Beasley Smith, Marvin Hughes, Owen Bradley)

• Night Time in The Switching Yard (Warren Zevon)

• No Leaf Clover ( James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich)

• Nobody Cares About the Railroads Any More (Harry Nilsson)

• Number 12 Train (Josh White)

• Oh! Mr Porter (George Le Brunn)

• Oil Tanker Train (Merle Haggard)

• Old Circus Train Turn-Around Blues (Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald)

• On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe (Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer)

• One after 909 (John Lennon, Paul McCartney)

• Only a Hobo (Bob Dylan)

• Orange Blossom Special (Ervin T. Rouse)

• Oriental Express (Jean Michel Jarre)

• Pan American (Hank Williams)

• A Passage To Bangkok (Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart)

• Peace Train (Cat Stevens)

• People Get Ready (Curtis Mayfield)

• Poor Paddy Works on the Railway (Traditional)

• Quiet Town (The Killers)

• Rail (Wilfred Josephs)

• Railroad (Bill Lawrie, Maurice Gibb)

• Railroad (Grand Funk Railroad)

• Railroad Bill (Traditional)

• Railroad Blues (Beastie Boys)

• Railroad Lady (Jimmy Buffett, Jerry Jeff Walker)

• Rambler Blues (Blind Lemon Jefferson)

• Ramblin’ Man (Hank Williams)

• Ramblin’ on my Mind (Robert Johnson)

• Red Streamliner (Bill Payne, Fran Tate)

• Reuben’s Train (Traditional)

• Riding on the L&N (Lionel Hampton, Dan Burley)

• Right Track Wrong Train (Cyndi Lauper)

• Rock Island Line (Traditional)

• Rock and Roll Train (Angus Young, Malcolm Young)

• Rocking on the Railroad (Anderson)

• Roll on Buddy (Traditional)

• Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms (Lester Flatt)

• Runaway Train (Greg Keelor, Jim Cuddy)

• Runaway Train (Dave Pirner, Soul Asylum)

• Runaway Train (Rosanne Cash)

• Runaway Train (Joe Cocker, Ollie Marland)

• Runaway Train (Brian Setzer)

• Runaway Train (Bernie Taupin, Elton John, Olle Romo)

• Runaway Train (Geddy Lee)

• Runaway Trains (Mike Campbell, Tom Petty)

• Sentimental Journey (Led Brown, Ben Homer, Bud Green)

• She Caught the Katy (and Left Me a Mule to Ride) (Taj Mahal, Yank Rachell)

• She Caught the Train (UB40)

• She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain (Traditional)

• Silver Train (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards)

• Sleeper Train (America)

• Slow Train (Bob Dylan)

• Slow Train to Dawn (The The)

• Slow Train to Nowhere (John Mayall)

• Smoke Along the Track (Dwight Yoakam)

• Smokestack Lightning (Chester Burnett)

• So Many Roads, So Many Trains (Marshall Paul)

• Southbound Train (Travis Tritt, Charlie Daniels)

• Southern Pacific (Neil Young)

• Spanish Train (Chris de Burgh)

• Steam Engine (Chip Douglas)

• Stop That Train (Peter Tosh)

• Streamline Train (Red Nelson)

• Streamlined Cannonball (Roy Acuff)

• Sub-Rosa Subway (John Woloschuk, Din Tome)

• Subway Train (Johnny Thunders, David Johansen)

• Sucker Train Blues (Dave Kushner, Duff McKagen, Slash, Matt Sorum, Scott Welland)

• Sunnyland Train (Elmore James)

• Sunshine Special (Blind Lemon Jefferson)

• Take the A Train (Billy Strahorn)

• Tallahassee (Frank Loesser)

• Texas, 1947 (Guy Clark)

• Texas Trilogy, Part 2: Trainride (Steven Fromholz)

• That Same Old Dotted Line (Hank Snow)

• There's a Train Out for Dreamland (Carl Kress, Frederich H. Heider)

• This Train Is Bound for Glory (Traditional)

• This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (Elton John, Bernie Taupin)

• Took the Last Train (David Gates)

• Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye) (Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman, Dan Russo)

• Train A-Travelin (Bob Dylan)

• Train Across Ukraine (Golem)

• Train Fare Home (Muddy Waters)

• Train in the Distance (Paul Simon)

• Train in Vain (Joe Strummer, Mick Jones)

• Train Kept A-Rollin (Tiny Bradshaw, Howie Kay, Louis Mann)

• Train Kept Rolling On (Jem Finer)

• Train Leaves Here This Morning (Bernie Leadon, Gene Clark)

• Train Long-Suffering (Nick Cave)

• Train Man (Bob Seger)

• Train of Love (Johnny Cash)

• Train of Love (Neil Young)

• Train of Thought (Cher)

• Train on the Island (Traditional)

• Train Round the Bend (Lou Reed)

• Train Running Low on Soul Coal (Andy Partridge)

• Train Song (Harry Belefonte)

• Trans-Europe Express (Kraftwerk)

• The Tolley Song (Hugh martin, Ralph Blane)

• Trouble in Mind (Richard M. Jones)

• Tucson Train (Bruce Springsteen)

• Tuesday’s Gone (Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant)

• Tulsa Queen (Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell)

• Two Trains (Lowell George)

• Two Trains Running (Muddy Waters)

• Under Your Thumb (Kevin Godley, Lol Creme)

• Wabash Cannonball (Traditional)

• Waiting for a Train (Flash and the Pan)

• Waiting for a Train (Jimmie Rodgers)

• Waiting for the End of the World (Elvis Costello)

• The Watchman's Gone (Gordon Lightfoot)

• Way Out There (Bob Nolan)

• What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round (Michael Martin Murphey and Owen Castleman)

• Whiskey Train (Procol Harum)

• Whistlin' Past the Graveyard (Tom Waits)

• Will-o-the-wisp (Pet Shop Boys)

• Woman on a Train (the Fixx)

• Woody and Dutch on the Slow Train to Peking (Rickie Lee Jones, David Kalish)

• Worried Man Blues (Traditional)

• Wreck of the Number Nine (Carson Robison )

• Wreck of the Old 97 (Charles Noell, Fred Jackson Lewey)

• Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man) (Love and Rockets)

• Zion Train (Bob Marley and the Wailers)

• Zoo Station (U2)

 

 

Rail for All!