Monster Ballads Lyrics

Lyric discussion by AndMilesToGo 

Cover art for Monster Ballads lyrics by Josh Ritter

Katy is a slang term for the MKT (missouri-kansas-texas) railroad, which fits with the Twain ref. I think the song is about how things lose their authenticity over time. He uses music and religion as examples of things whose meaning and feeling have "slipped out between the notes."