Gillian Welch — Empty Trainload of Sky
Album: WoodlandAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 165
Length: 3:16
Plays (last 30 days): 13
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Saw a freight train yesterday
It was chugging, plugging away
'Cross a river trestle so high
Just a boxcar blue
Showing daylight clear through
Just an empty trainload of sky
Well, it hit me and it hurt me
Made my good humor desert me
For a moment I was tempted to fly
To the Devil or the Lord
As it hung there like a sword
Just an empty trainload of sky
Was it spirit? Was it solid?
Did I ditch that class in college?
Pulled the curtain from my eye
I said hey hey, my my
Saw a freight train yesterday
It was chugging, plugging away
Just an empty trainload of sky
Just an empty trainload of sky
Just an empty trainload of sky
It was chugging, plugging away
'Cross a river trestle so high
Just a boxcar blue
Showing daylight clear through
Just an empty trainload of sky
Well, it hit me and it hurt me
Made my good humor desert me
For a moment I was tempted to fly
To the Devil or the Lord
As it hung there like a sword
Just an empty trainload of sky
Was it spirit? Was it solid?
Did I ditch that class in college?
Pulled the curtain from my eye
I said hey hey, my my
Saw a freight train yesterday
It was chugging, plugging away
Just an empty trainload of sky
Just an empty trainload of sky
Just an empty trainload of sky
Comments (7)add comment
Sure sounds like JJ Cale Don't Go To Strangers to me. Just saying.
joko63808 wrote:
Too country for me.
I hear you, not a fan of formulaic poop-kicking either, but this one passed the audition with me, it has some depth to it. On first blush I take music at face value before I worry about classifying it. I like some Alison Krauss, Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, Lucinda Williams, Kris Kristofferson, Emmlou Harris and of course Willie and Dolly too, to mention just a few, all of whom get airplay on RP. GEEZ! I didn't realize the list was so long! I better weed some of those out before people get the wrong idea!
Too country for me.
I Believe this is the NPR story William mentioned:
https://www.npr.org/2024/09/04...
Well worth the listen.
https://www.npr.org/2024/09/04...
Well worth the listen.
Gillian and David make a perfect pair in any configuration! I'm a fan of all of their iterations!
Such great musicians and so devoted to each other which is just lovely.
I really love these two artists and probably would of never heard about them if not for RP. And thank you William for the backstory to this song. I like it, kind of creates an ominous feeling. 