It's late and I can't sleep
I've made promises I can't keep
Cobblestones and broken bones
Has a kingdom but he's got
No home
Last night is still ringin' in my head
Like that lonesome whistle in
The rain

I'm a fool for a lonesome train

The lifetimes we've left behind
With strangers
Promises and lies both have
Their dangers
I just can't be wrong enough
And I can't hide for long enough
So far away but I still feel
Your pain

I'm a fool for a lonesome train
I'd try to say good-bye
But I never got your name
I'm a fool for a lonesome train

I'm a fool for a lonesome train
I'm your fool for a lonesome train
I know it sounds crazy but I'm
Painfully sane
I'm your fool for a lonesome train


Lyrics submitted by xchoosetodayx

Fool for a Lonesome Train Lyrics as written by Jason Conrad Yates Ben C Harper

Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.

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Fool For A Lonesome Train song meanings
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    General Comment

    This is one of my top 5 favorite Ben Harper songs. The meaning of it to me varies when I hear it.

    By that I mean sometimes I think when he says he's a fool for a lonesome train he means at a certain point in each of his relationships, he leaves to pursue something else which puts him alone. He is basically choosing to leave the relationship when it gets deep, like he is scared of getting past a certain emotional or commitment point in a relationship. "I've made promises that I can't keep" meaning he tells the girls he wants it to last forever, but it's eating at his conscious because he knows he won't let it last.

    Then sometimes (because this is more personal to me) I think it means when he sees a person alone that is a "diamond in the rough", he pursues them. Then once that girl is better, he moves on to the next person to help, rather than just finding someone that doesn't need the help. In this interpretation I believe "Lonely Train" to mean someone that needs his help, someone that hasn't really figured relationships or life in general out. I know this probably has nothing to do with why he wrote it, but sometimes the personal meaning a song takes to an individual is as important as the original purpose of that song.

    aquariusdream - I agree about the Neil Young sound, I thought of it the first time I heard the song.

    pacstechon August 18, 2009   Link

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