Train Shanty

[Wolfeyes]

I was bored one day, listening to some music, when I started swapping out some of the lyrics to stuff vaguely related train hopping. It was a great way to pass the time, so I decided to start writing some of them down. I got one finished thus far. It's a remake of Barrett's Privateers by Stan Rogers.

The lyrics could use some work, but this is what I got:

_____________________________________________________________________________

Oh the year was 1998
How I wish I was in Pittsburgh now
When a buddy of mine said the craziest thing
Had a look in his eye that I'd never seen

God damn them all, I was told
We'd ride the rails to the city of gold
we'd smoke some weed, drink some beers
I'm a broken man on and Oregon pier
Trying to catch a ride out of here.

My buddy and I walked out of town
How I wish I was in Pittsburgh now
We met some kids all travelers who
When asked they said we could join their crew

God damn them all, I was told
We'd ride the rails to the city of gold
we'd smoke some weed, drink some beers
I'm a broken man on and Oregon pier
Trying to catch a ride out of here.

The rail yard was just a sickening sight
How I wish I was in Pittsburgh now
With bulls all around and a barbed wire fence
But this traveling crew was mighty dense

God damn them all, I was told
We'd ride the rails to the city of gold
we'd smoke some weed, drink some beers
I'm a broken man on and Oregon pier
Trying to catch a ride out of here.

After nearly a week we all caught out
How I wish I was in Pittsburgh now
We were twenty one days to the Frisco bay
Frozen and hungry all the way

God damn them all, I was told
We'd ride the rails to the city of gold
we'd smoke some weed, drink some beers
I'm a broken man on and Oregon pier
Trying to catch a ride out of here.

On the twenty third day we sided out
How I wish I was in Pittsburgh now
When a bloody big yard bull hove in sight
Some wanted to run others wanted a fight

God damn them all, I was told
We'd ride the rails to the city of gold
we'd smoke some weed, drink some beers
I'm a broken man on and Oregon pier
Trying to catch a ride out of here.

The yard bull threw us all in jail
How I wish I was in Pittsburgh now
I was warm and fed and wanted to stay
but the coppers threw me out after just one day

God damn them all, I was told
We'd ride the rails to the city of gold
we'd smoke some weed, drink some beers
I'm a broken man on and Oregon pier
Trying to catch a ride out of here.

Then I learn the truth that awful day
How I wish I was in Pittsburgh now
The train we caught was the wrong one
I was in Seattle, Washington

God damn them all, I was told
We'd ride the rails to the city of gold
we'd smoke some weed, drink some beers
I'm a broken man on and Oregon pier
Trying to catch a ride out of here.

So here I lay in my twenty third year
How I wish I was in Pittsburgh now
It's been six years since we rode away
And I only made Portland yesterday

God damn them all, I was told
We'd ride the rails to the city of gold
we'd smoke some weed, drink some beers
I'm a broken man on and Oregon pier
Trying to catch a ride out of here.

______________________________________________________

Like I said, could use some work. Especially the last line of the chorus.

 

[Wolfeyes]

I was in a hurry to post this, then forgot all about it. Now I'm passed the edit window...

I meant to put up a link to the original song, and ask for feedback(opinions, tips, improvements, etc...) on this version.



My version is a verse shorter, namely because I was running out of ideas. Maybe I'll dust off my cast iron pipes and sing(badly) this version.

If yo don't wanna watch the vid, the original is basically about a young man who joins a privateer crew, led by an inept captain aboard a sorry excuse for a ship in search of wealth and adventure, only to end up a destitute cripple, living as a beggar in Halifax.

My version is about a kid who, along with a friend, decides to hop a train to California, seeking freedom and a good time, but every thing that can go wrong(hot yard, late train, bad weather, wrong train) does go wrong. Our hero ends up broke in Portland, unable to get any kind of ride.