Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Take the last train to Clarksville
And I'll meet you at the station
You can be here by four thirty
'Cause I've made your reservation, don't be slow
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no
'Cause I'm leaving in the morning
And I must see you again
We'll have one more night together
'Til the morning brings my train and I must go
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no
And I don't know if I'm ever coming home
Take the last train to Clarksville
I'll be waiting at the station
We'll have time for coffee-flavored kisses
And a bit of conversation
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no
Take the last train to Clarksville
Now I must hang up the phone
I can't hear you in this noisy railroad station all alone
I'm feeling low
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no
And I don't know if I'm ever coming home
Oh
(Ah)
Take the last train to Clarksville
And I'll meet you at the station
You can be here by four thirty
'Cause I've made your reservation, don't be slow
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no
And I don't know if I'm ever coming home
Take the last train to Clarksville
Take the last train to Clarksville
Take the last train to Clarksville
Take the last train to Clarksville
And I'll meet you at the station
You can be here by four thirty
'Cause I've made your reservation, don't be slow
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no
'Cause I'm leaving in the morning
And I must see you again
We'll have one more night together
'Til the morning brings my train and I must go
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no
And I don't know if I'm ever coming home
Take the last train to Clarksville
I'll be waiting at the station
We'll have time for coffee-flavored kisses
And a bit of conversation
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no
Take the last train to Clarksville
Now I must hang up the phone
I can't hear you in this noisy railroad station all alone
I'm feeling low
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no
And I don't know if I'm ever coming home
Oh
(Ah)
Take the last train to Clarksville
And I'll meet you at the station
You can be here by four thirty
'Cause I've made your reservation, don't be slow
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no
And I don't know if I'm ever coming home
Take the last train to Clarksville
Take the last train to Clarksville
Take the last train to Clarksville
Take the last train to Clarksville
Lyrics submitted by PnkRckPrncss, edited by megara21
Last Train to Clarksville Lyrics as written by Tommy Boyce Bobby Hart
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
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I was told that in an interview with one of the directors of the TV show, that this was an anti-war song. As the Monkees were mainly pop at the time, the song was written with that kind of vibe, and was subtle in its protest. There was a military mustering station located in Clarksville Tennessee, hence, "Take the last train to Clarkville...And I dont know if I'm ever coming home."
Never heard that but it makes sense. Thanks! Love the song anyway - childhood memories!
I like this song becuase it sounds just like the Beatles, and also because Mike Nesmith's mom invented white-out and The Monkees spent a weekend in her garage bottling the stuff. lol. It's really catchy too.
Last Train was written as a war protest song. Mike's dad wouldn't let the band do anything about the war and he never knew what the song was about until the late 80's! Clarksville Tenn was where the train went to the front gate of the army fort where everyone who was going to Vietnam's papers went for final process. So not everyone went there, but everyone's papers were stamped from there! (As a side note, their song "Pleasant Valley Sunday" was also about Vietnam! It was about a returned GI that had what we now call PTSD but back then was called Shell Shock.
Yep, an anti-war song, catchy and subversive enough to make it past the establishment onto the airwaves. I've read that it was played at orientation for draftees, usually to break the ice :)
Also, what an heinous girlfriend :[
I learned that it is a soldier calling his girlfriend so he can see her one last time before he went to war. "and I don't know if I'm ever coming home"
sounds a bit like the folk song "Old joe Clark", atleast the music does, I cant imagine the Monkees singing about a murderer whos going to get hanged.