I just came down from Chippewa
Had a station wagon and a 100 dollars
Thinkin' about the girl I had lost a year before
I hadn't seen her for some time
Thought I might go on by
When your memory came floodin' in
And you closed that door
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I was a diesel locomotive
I'd come whistling down your track
Crashing in your door
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I didnt have a heart
You need a shovel for the coal
Just to get me started
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I was a freight train
Well, every time I talk to you
I hear your jealous lines
I feel like I've been left abandoned
On some old railway side
And every time I hear your voice
My water just gets cold
My stoker will not stoke
And my boiler will not boil
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I was a diesel locomotive
I'd come whistling down your track
Crashing in your door
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I didnt have a heart
You need a shovel for the coal
Just to get me started
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I was a freight train
Well, every time I fell behind
I could not get ahead
I wish someone would pull the lever
And give me a little sand
And every time I slip behind
Even further back
I wish some switch man would come out of fog
And change my track
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I was a diesel locomotive
I'd come whistling down your track
Crashing in your door
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I didnt have a heart
You need a shovel for the coal
Just to get me started
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I was a freight train
Woo!
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I was a diesel locomotive
I'd come whistling down your track
Crashing in your door
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I didnt have a heart
You need a shovel for the coal
Just to get me started
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I was a freight train, baby
Wish I was a freight train
About This Song
"Freight Train" is a melancholic country ballad about unrequited love and the painful persistence of romantic longing, where the narrator wishes his feelings could be as unstoppable and powerful as a freight train crashing through barriers. The song explores themes of heartbreak, rejection, and the frustrating inability to move past a lost love, with the protagonist using the metaphor of a diesel locomotive to express his desire to break through his former lover's emotional defenses. Jackson's traditional country delivery, backed by steel guitar and a steady rhythm that mimics a train's movement, creates an atmosphere of both determination and resignation. The freight train metaphor is particularly effective because it contrasts the narrator's actual powerlessness with his fantasy of having unstoppable force, making this a standout track that captures the universal experience of wanting to fight for love even when the door has been firmly closed. Written by Fred Eaglesmith, the song showcases Jackson's ability to interpret deeply emotional material with his signature vocal warmth and authenticity.
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