I tend to go along with the Casey Jones theory. This is not a song about infidelity. It is about the dead and the living and the wandering spirit of Casey who haunts the subways, living the daily reminder of a tragic accident that took his life along with others at the turn of the century. Hints of death are the "dirty smell of dying", the "fatal echoes of the clicking of the turnstiles" alluding to the number of casualties, and the "rattle of his chains" alluding to the carriages that were part of the train that Casey was the driver of. He "minds the arrows" which were early semaphore warning signals for train drivers. He ignores everything else because as a spirit he is powerless to do anything. His loneliness is reflected in "the lives of all the lonely men" at the pub but unlike them he wants to go home to his beloved.
The two bridges are the interesting sections of the song. They are mournful sentiments of his lover/wife - as if in a dream state she is communicating with Casey, longing for him, yearning for his closeness. She like Casey, is alone, following the accident.
The "family of his own" is a reference to all those who perished together with Casey on that fateful day.
I tend to go along with the Casey Jones theory. This is not a song about infidelity. It is about the dead and the living and the wandering spirit of Casey who haunts the subways, living the daily reminder of a tragic accident that took his life along with others at the turn of the century. Hints of death are the "dirty smell of dying", the "fatal echoes of the clicking of the turnstiles" alluding to the number of casualties, and the "rattle of his chains" alluding to the carriages that were part of the train that Casey was the driver of. He "minds the arrows" which were early semaphore warning signals for train drivers. He ignores everything else because as a spirit he is powerless to do anything. His loneliness is reflected in "the lives of all the lonely men" at the pub but unlike them he wants to go home to his beloved.
The two bridges are the interesting sections of the song. They are mournful sentiments of his lover/wife - as if in a dream state she is communicating with Casey, longing for him, yearning for his closeness. She like Casey, is alone, following the accident.
The "family of his own" is a reference to all those who perished together with Casey on that fateful day.