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 pa**es 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