it takes a lot to laugh

 it takes a train to cry. (dylan)

so my master has been listening to the Bob Dylan Radio Theme Hour on You Tubes this past month and i must say this little doggie learns something new every episode.....Yesterday he listened to the Theme about TRAIN songs.

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL was an old folk song with traditional lyrics and was first recorded by Lead Belly in the 1930's....Creedence Clearwater Revival did a cover in 1969....that much i knew.....what i didn't know was the origin of the folk song.

to paraphrase Mr Dylan , there was a prison in the middle of nowhere in the vast state of Texas and there was a nightly train that passed the prison and would drop off new prisoners and occasionally pickup a newly released individual.  The train arrived between 11 and 1:00 a.m. and thus was dubbed the midnight special. The inmates laying in their bunks would see the headlight of the train reflecting on the prison walls and would dream of the Day it was THEM waiting outside the gates to be picked up and so it followed "Let the Midnight Special shine it's ever loving light on me"

I believe if you think of things, people, fellow dogs...their spirit is alive....even if you don't know them individually.....so the next time you hear the Midnight Special, think of those cats who were signing that hopeful ditty 100 hundred years ago in the desert of Texas, and remember.."if you ever go to Houston, well you better walk right"

LAST TRAIN TO CLARKESVILLE , ah the melody....the happy go lucky , silly sounds of the Monkees.....all the sang about was pretty girls and hilarious hijinks....well not exactly.

Mr Dylan pointed out that this was a song about the hopelessness and uncertainty that surrounded the Vietnam war. In this particular song the hero was shipping to out to war in the morning and was trying to see his girl before he left.

Cause I'm leavin' in the morning, And I must see you again

We'll have one more night together, 'Til the morning brings my train

and then the last lines, which loose their edge when Davey Jones sings them , unless you really listen ...and then you hear the sadness that stands out like fool in the rain

"and I don't know if i'm ever coming back"

good stuff and thank you Mr Dylan for taking the time to shine a new light on some lost forgotten songs on your show and for taking a new look at some classics we think we remember.