Top 125 Songs With Train in the Title

Trains are a part of life. But, I don’t suppose we give them much thought other than when they turn up late. However, there are things about trains that are not just purely functional forms of transport.

They can mean going away, coming home, or the start of a new adventure. There aren’t too many good songs with train in the title, though some make mention of them in the lyrics.

So, let’s take a look and see what the songwriters have come up with…

Top 125 Songs With Train in the Title

1

Freight Train by Chet Atkins

Let’s start with this song about trains from Chet Atkins. I have to admit, as a young musician, I had heard the name but didn’t have a clue what he played or if he was any good at all. 

Then, one night I was playing with some people I had not played with before. The guitarist, who later went on to do great things, was warming up, and he was playing this song. I ventured to ask what it was, and he told me. An introduction to Chet Atkins, who, like his style or not, was a great guitarist.

It was first released in 1964… 

And it was taken from his album, Guitar Country. The song was written sometime in the 1900s by Elizabeth Cotten. It was taken to the UK by Peggy Seeger, for whom Elizabeth Cotten was a nanny. Peggy Seeger’s half-brother was Pete Seeger. 

Peggy married British political activist and folk singer Ewan McColl who wrote: “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” for her.

They played in folk clubs in the 50s in the UK, and “Freight Train” became popular. It was the same in America. It was often played in clubs during the folk revival of the 50s and 60s. Chet Atkins picked it up from there and made a memorable instrumental version of the song. 

2

All Night Train by The Allman Brothers Band

This is a song taken from their 1994 album, Where It All Begins. It was written by Greg Allman, Warren Haynes, and Chuck Leavell.

The meaning of the song is buried in an interesting idea… 

It’s the idea that riding around on a train all night will help him escape from the negative things in his life. He talks about his doctor telling him he has to stop riding the train.

The train ride is just a reference point and is not literal. Greg Allman’s seemingly never-ending train ride refers to his drug addiction. And how he needs to break the habit of endless nights spent on the “train.” 

He had a real problem with drugs, as many did and still do, and this is what the song is about. He was forced to testify against the people that supplied him in a court hearing in 1975. Interesting use of the word train in a song as a way of explaining how hard it is to get “off” and stop riding it all night.

3

Love Train by The O’Jays

This was a huge hit for the O’Jays in 1972, reaching #9 in the UK and #1 in America. It was very much a Disco-type song that had a message. It came as Vietnam was moving towards its rather ugly conclusion, even though there were still three more years to go before it finally ended. 

The song entered the chart on the same day that the Peace Accord in Paris was signed on 27th January 1973. Some saw the song as a rather cynical attempt at commercialism. Others said that it was a cry for help from people who had just had enough of wars.

When you think of American vocal groups of that time… 

You are most likely going to think of The Temptations, The Four Tops, or The Impressions. Ironically, The O’Jays were formed before all of them in 1958. 

They released dozens of singles over the years without breaking through. This song, and another from the “Philly” sound called “Back Stabbers,” gave them some success. “Love Train” reached #9 on the UK chart and was The O’Jays’ only #1 in America.

4

Travelin’ In Style by Free

I am going to cheat a little bit on this list of songs with train in the title. Trains aren’t mentioned in the title, but they are in the first few lines of the lyrics. So, I think I can get away with that one. “Well the train I ride – Is leaving the station – It’s the train I ride – To my destination.”

It was taken from Free’s last album, Heartbreaker, recorded in November 1972 at Island Studios in London. It is a simple enough song and nothing like what you expect from Free, who was a hard Blues band. But, it is pleasant enough and highlights how good a singer Paul Rodgers was.

Internal and external problems…

An impending tour of America was coming up. And, at that time, they didn’t have a bass player they were all happy with to fill Andy Fraser’s shoes. 

Kossoff was very sick, and bad choices were being made by management. When Paul Kossoff was credited only with being an ‘additional’ musician on the album, they all knew it was over. They did the tour but called it a day as soon as they got home.

5

Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight

When Gladys Knight and the Pips left Motown, many thought that might be the end of their career. Not a bit of it. Their second single back was this song written by Jim Weatherley. It was included in their 1973 album, Imagination.

It reached #10 in the UK and was #1 in America. It’s an excellent song if you like that 70s Soul sound. This is a song about catching a train so that she can be with her man, who is trying to build a singing career. He is going to Georgia to further that ambition, and she goes with him.

6

Big Black Train by Flatt & Scruggs

Let’s turn the clock back a bit and go from some smooth Soul to some fancy finger-picking. Lester Flatt on guitar and Earl Scruggs on banjo were champions of Bluegrass music from the late 40s to the 60s.

This is a very Country music tale of heartbreak. The man has jumped on a train that is taking him away. He found out that his partner had been unfaithful to him, and the train was his way out.

7

Sleeper Train by America

America started their musical career just down the road from where I lived in West London. Their fathers were in the US Air Force stationed in Ruislip. The boys didn’t go to the schools that we did. They were packed off to international schools ten miles away. 

The result was no one got to meet them, let alone know them. However, a few of us did hear them play one night on the base. They had a very different sound. A Crosby, Stills, and Nash likeness, but they were better vocally than their illustrious competitors.

Their first songs…

All were recorded at Morgan studios in London before they went back to America. One of which was “A Horse With No Name.” 

“Sleep Train” was taken from the album, Hourglass, released in 1994. It is a typical soft rock track. Easy acoustic guitars and those distinctive vocals.

It’s a song about a man on a train journey. He thinks about the girl he left behind as he watches the beauty of the landscape passing by the window on his way to a new life.

8

Just Missed The Train by Kelly Clarkson

This is a track from Kelly Clarkson’s 2003 album, Thankful. The song is about a woman who is singing to her partner as they try to sleep on a bench at a railway station. They have missed their train, and she bemoans that she doesn’t know what they are going to do now.

The obvious answer is possibly waiting for the next one. Not the greatest work that she recorded by any means, but it is a song that mentions trains. And, of course, it’s another of the limited songs with train in the title.

9

New Ways / Train Train by Jeff Beck

Some would argue the finest Rock guitarist ever, and they would have a point. This song is taken from his album, Rough and Ready, from 1971.

The song is in two parts… 

In the first, a young man is expressing his feelings about how he perceives himself in the eyes of others. He thinks he isn’t cared for or appreciated and, therefore, is going to make changes to his life.

In the second part, he makes the change by jumping on a train. He is off to make a new life somewhere, and the train is his escape from all that had gone before.

The Jeff Beck Group

He selected the musicians to work with him. Perhaps the most influential was drummer Cozy Powell who drove the first part along at a powerful pace. We get Jeff Beck laying down his guitar vibe in the second part. He also plays some bass guitar along with regular bass player Clive Charman.

A powerful song that has some great individual performances and is so typical of Jeff Beck in the early 70s.

10

Peace Train by Cat Stevens

This is a track written and recorded by Cat Stevens on his album, Teaser And The Firecat. It was written in 1971 at a difficult time. 

The 60s and into the 70s were a time when war was everywhere. And what made it worse was the behavior of certain military institutions in the lands they were fighting in.

I suppose you could call this song a reaction to that. It is a song that is offering hope because that was what was needed. And, for us as humans being on the brink and the edge of darkness. Not much has changed, has it?

An Invitation

The song invites everyone to ride his “Peace Train” and to try and make the world a safer and better place. Trying to find a way of making the world a peaceful place for all became an important message in the 70s. 

John Lennon would have told you as much if some sub-normal who had been allowed to own a gun hadn’t killed him for no reason. One of the things Cat Stevens is talking about.

It reached #7 in America but was not released as a single in the UK. People preferred to buy the album, and sales would have been affected by releasing singles from it. However, Dolly Parton recorded a version as part of her work with a South African vocal group.

11

Long Train Runnin’ by The Doobie Brothers

This might raise a few eyebrows. But for me, the Doobie Brothers were one of the best bands of the 70s. And the album this track came from, The Captain and Me, is one of the best albums of that decade. An album I still regularly play.

It was released in 1973 as a single from the album and reached #8 in America. It wasn’t released as a single in the UK until 1993, when it reached #7.

As far as a song about riding on trains, writer Tom Johnson was honest enough to admit that he just liked trains and the words don’t mean very much.

It has a strong vocal line for a song that nearly wasn’t… 

That’s because it was considered a bit of a throwaway initially. Its distinctive rhythm guitar pattern and excellent bass line by Tiran Porter make this a great track and an apt way to finish these songs about trains.

12

Loco-Motion by Little Eva

13

Trains and Boats and Planes by Dionne Warwick

14

Train to Nowhere by Savoy Brown

15

Train in Vain by The Clash

16

Train to Chicago by Soul Asylum

17

Train to Skaville by The Ethiopians

18

The Train from Kansas City by The Shangri-Las

19

The Midnight Special by Lead Belly

20

Life Is Like a Mountain Railroad by The Carter Family

21

Morning Train (Nine to Five) by Sheena Easton

22

Love in Vain by Robert Johnson

23

Freight Train Blues by Bob Dylan

24

Train Wreck by Sarah McLachlan

25

Train to Birmingham by John Hiatt

26

The Train That Carried My Girl From Town by Doc Watson

27

Train from Washington by George Jones

28

Train Running Low on Soul Coal by XTC

29

Train in G Major by The Impressions

30

Fast Moving Train by Restless Heart

31

Train of Memories by Merle Haggard

32

Train in the Rain by Joe Bonamassa

33

The Little Engine That Could by Burl Ives

34

Get on the Train by Kelly Rowland

35

Train to Lamy by Tim Buckley

36

Waiting on a Train by John Fogerty

37

Train to Glory by John Mellencamp

38

The Loco-Motion by Little Eva

39

Train of Love by Johnny Cash

40

Train to Memphis by Johnny Rivers

41

Midnight Train by Buddy Guy

42

Hellbound Train by Savoy Brown

43

Jump That Train by Joe Bonamassa

44

The Train Is Coming by Ken Boothe

45

Train to Heaven by Spiritualized

46

Night Train by James Brown

47

Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad by Woody Guthrie

48

Last Train to London by Electric Light Orchestra

49

Slow Train Coming by Bob Dylan

50

Downbound Train by Bruce Springsteen

More 75 Songs With Train in the Title

51. 51. Train I Ride by Tom Waits
    52. Train Song by Feist
    53. Ghost Train by Gorillaz
    54. I Missed the Train by Kris Kristofferson
    55. The Midnight Train by The Spencer Davis Group
    56. Love on a Two-Way Street by The Moments
    57. The Train Kept Rollin’ by Johnny Burnette
    58. A Train by Gary Clark Jr.
    59. Gravy Train by Mark Knopfler
    60. One More Train to Rob by Eagles
    61. Down in the Valley by The Head and the Heart.
    62. Train Kept A-Rollin’ by Aerosmith
    63. Last Train Home by Pat Metheny Group
    64. Train From Kansas City by The Shangri-Las
    65. This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore by Elton John
    66. The Train Kept A Rollin’ by Johnny Burnette
    67. Train Round The Bend by The Velvet Underground
    68. Train In The Distance by Jackson Browne
    69. My Train’s Comin’ In by Bettye Swann
    70. Long Black Train by Josh Turner
    71. This Train by Peter, Paul and Mary
    72. In A Station by The Band
    73. All Aboard by Chuck Berry
    74. A Train That Never Stops by Midnight Oil
    75. Catch A Train by Free
    76. Train Of Glory by Hank Williams
    77. Railroad Man by Eels
    78. Blue Train by John Coltrane
    79. Train In The City by The Eagles
    80. Hidin’ My Heart On The Train by Patricia Kaas
    81. Train Tracks by Family Force 5
    82. Fast Train by Solomon Burke
    83. Train Called Freedom by Sweet Honey In The Rock
    84. Train of Dreams by Kiki Dee
    85. Train to Anywhere by Gladys Knight & The Pips
    86. Train To Satanville by Gin Gillette
    87. Long Train Blues by T-Bone Walker
    88. Lonesome Train by Johnny Burnette
    89. The Train Kept A-Rollin’ by Johnny Burnette & The Rock ‘n Roll Trio
    90. Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne
    91. Love Train of Thought by Bob Welch
    92. Downtown Train by Tom Waits
    93. Hey, Soul Sister by Train
    94. I’m a Train by Albert Hammond
    95. Runaway Train by Soul Asylum
    96. People Get Ready (The Train’s a-Comin’) by Curtis Mayfield
    97. The Orange Blossom Special (The Wabash Cannonball) by Johnny Cash
    98. Train to Miami by Jon Secada
    99. Train by Brick
    100. Love Train by The Wiggles
    101. Silver Train by The Rolling Stones
    102. Train, Train by Blackfoot
    103. The Gospel Train by Sister Rosetta Tharpe
    104. Train to Ecstasy by ATB
    105. I’m on the Right Track (To Kansas City) by Johnnie Johnson
    106. It Takes Two (To Make a Train Whistle Blow) by Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston
    107. Train of Thought by Cher
    108. Everytime I Hear That Train by The Lonesome River Band
    109. Train in the Sky by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
    110. Shinkansen (Bullet Train) by Hibari Misora
    111. A Train Bound for Glory by Johnny Cash
    112. Train in the Valley by Joe Bonamassa
    113. Locomotive Breath by Jethro Tull
    114. Freedom Train by Lenny Kravitz
    115. Blues Train by The John Dummer Band
    116. Train in the Desert by Paul McCartney
    117. Freight Train Boogie by Doc Watson
    118. The Long Black Train by Josh Turner
    119. Trains Across The Sea by Silver Jews
    120. The Ghosts of the Great Highway by Sun Kil Moon
    121. There’s A Train That Leaves Tonight by A.A. Bondy
    122. The Ballad of the Sin Eater by Richard Thompson
    123. Midnight Train to Memphis by Chris Stapleton
    124. Trans-Continental Hustle by Gogol Bordello
    125. Waiting For That Train To Come by Yo La Tengo

Searching for More Songs About Moving and Traveling?

Well, take a look at our detailed articles on the Best Songs About Cars, the Best Songs About Walking, the Top Songs About Flying and Planes, the Best Running Songs, and the Best Songs About Not Giving Up for more incredible song selections.

Songs With Train in the Title – Final Thoughts

Trains might be best known for taking us somewhere, but there can be more to them than just that. They are used as ways of expressing emotions and experiences, good as well as bad. And they are often our escape from something we want to be away from.

Of course, these are obvious connections. A train is a form of transport, and that is what it does. But, in the hands of the songwriter, it can create a whole new picture and meaning around a simple train journey.

Another Magical Mystery Tour?

One train song not included here is the mysterious song from “A Hard Days Night.” It is played while the band is on a train and starts an argument with a passenger. 

Who recorded it, and who played on it? 

It was not included in the soundtrack album or ever published. And no one has ever claimed ownership. Are we to assume it was The Beatles just giving it a raucous 40 seconds at the end of a recording session? Then, later just decided to use it in the film for the train scene? We will probably never know. 

The mystery of the train can take us to places literally and metaphorically in more ways than one.

Until next time, happy listening, and safe travels.