Wish I Was A Train

Written with Troy Cassar-Daley
When I was a little boy I used to lie in my bed
And listen for the 909
It never ran on Christmas or the day that Jesus died
But every other day it ran on time
It always made me lonesome but it brought me comfort
And what it did for me I can’t explain
And as I wander through this harsh and gentle world
Oh every now and then I wish I was a train

Roll on, roll on into the dark night
Leaving all my troubles behind
Carrying my soul far far away
Oh every now and then I wish I was a train

I loaded trucks in Isa
Rode the dingo fences
Cursed a ganger on the western line
Started throwing punches in a bar in Charters Towers
They threw the book at me, I did my time

Roll on, roll on into the dark night
Leaving all my troubles behind
Carrying my soul far far away
Oh every now and then I wish I was a train

‘Cause a train don’t weep
A train don’t feel heartache, sadness and pain
And when I die, well, let my spirit ride on the boxcar of an ever-rolling train