[Verse 1]
When the train rolls through town
The rumble sets the walls shakin'
When the train rolls through town
Sets picture frames askew
And the veterans at the bar
Have to raise their voices to be heard
And last year's Christmas star
Has gone the way of the nickel draft beer
[Verse 2]
When the train rolls through town
Letters missin' on the movie marquee
And the soldiers at the five-and-dime
Are lost in a black-and-white newsreel
And the powеr of grindin' wheels
Kick the dust and cinders flyin'
Cryin' whistles squеal
Red lights flashin' warning signs clear
[Verse 3]
When the train rolls through town
The old men lose their concentration
And the checkers are sent a-flyin'
They forget the double jump backwards
And the barbershop is closed
Yellow newsprint screaming headlines
"Will open in the spring
God willing" or so the sign says
[Harmonica Solo]
[Verse 4]
When the train rolls through town
You don't know what it is carryin'
Came somewhere from the south
Goin' back to where it came from
And there used to be whistle-stop tours
Glad handling through the motions
But it don't carry people now
Or stop in this old river town no more
[Outro]
When the train rolls through town
When the train rolls through town
When the train rolls through town
When the train rolls through town
When the train rolls through town
When the Train Rolls Through Tow was written by Jack Hardy.