Trains have a special place in music, serving as a symbol for everything from freedom and escape to heartbreak and a journey home. They appear in blues, rock, country, and folk songs, often in stories about travel, loss, and hope.
Be sure to check out the Songs About Trains Playlist at the bottom of this page.
Best Songs About Trains
1. “Midnight Train to Georgia” – Gladys Knight & The Pips
Lyric Sample: “He’s leaving on the midnight train to Georgia.”
This 1970s soul classic tells the story of a woman who leaves her high-flying life in Los Angeles to follow her man back home. The train becomes a symbol of her commitment and the journey back to a simpler life.
Related: Best Songs About Georgia
2. “Downtown Train” – Tom Waits / Rod Stewart
Lyric Sample: “Will I see you tonight, on a downtown train?”
Rod Stewart’s cover turned Tom Waits’ gritty ballad into a global hit. It’s about someone thinking about a past or distant love while watching a train pass.
3. “Peace Train” – Cat Stevens
Lyric Sample: “Oh, peace train sounding louder, glide on the peace train.”
Cat Stevens uses a train as a metaphor for a movement toward global harmony and a better world. The song is an optimistic call for people to join together on a journey toward peace.
Related: Best Songs About Peace
4. “Last Train to London” – Electric Light Orchestra
Lyric Sample: “But I really want tonight to last forever, I really wanna be with you.”
ELO’s disco-infused rock song is about the end of a relationship, with the last train to London marking a final departure. The upbeat tempo contrasts with the sad subject.
5. “Long Train Runnin’” – The Doobie Brothers
Lyric Sample: “Without love, where would you be now?”
This ’70s classic ties the image of a rolling train to the unstoppable force of love. It’s easily one of the best-known rock songs about trains.
6. “Last Train to Clarksville” – The Monkees
Lyric Sample: “And I don’t know if I’m ever comin’ home.”
This early pop-rock song is a message from a soldier saying goodbye to a lover before boarding a train. It’s a bittersweet moment as he leaves for war with no guarantee of returning.
7. “Crazy Train” – Ozzy Osbourne
Lyric Sample: “Mental wounds not healing, life’s a bitter shame.”
Ozzy Osbourne’s signature song uses the “crazy train” to describe a feeling of losing control and a chaotic world. It’s a fast-paced heavy metal track that describes a world gone mad.
Related: “Crazy Train” Song Meaning
8. “Love Train” – The O’Jays
Lyric Sample: “People all over the world, join hands, start a love train, love train.”
This joyful R&B song invites everyone to board a train of love and unity. The song presents a hopeful vision of a world where people from all walks of life can come together in peace.
9. “Mystery Train” – Elvis Presley
Lyric Sample: “Train I ride, sixteen coaches long.”
This old country song, popularized by Elvis Presley, is about a man who loses his woman and hopes the train can bring her back. The mystery train carries both love and loss.
10. “Folsom Prison Blues” – Johnny Cash
Lyric Sample: “I hear that train a comin’, it’s rolling ’round the bend.”
Johnny Cash’s classic uses the sound of a passing train to highlight the narrator’s despair inside of Folsom Prison. The train represents the freedom he has lost and the world moving on without him.
Related: Best Campfire Songs
11. “Runaway Train” – Soul Asylum
Lyric Sample: “Runaway train never going back, wrong way on a one way track.”
This ’90s rock hit uses a runaway train as a metaphor for a life spiraling out of control. The song is also famous for its music video, which showed pictures of missing children.
Related: “Runaway Train” Song Meaning
12. “Downbound Train” – Bruce Springsteen
Lyric Sample: “Don’t you feel like you’re a rider on a downbound train?”
Springsteen uses the downbound train as a symbol of lost love and a life gone off track. It’s one of his darker, lesser-known gems.
13. “Stop This Train” – John Mayer
Lyric Sample: “So scared of getting older, I’m only good at being young.”
“Stop This Train” is about the relentless passage of time and the feeling of growing older. Mayer sings about how he wishes he could slow down life and appreciate the present moment before it’s gone.
Related: Best Songs About Time Passing
14. “Train Kept A-Rollin’” – Aerosmith
Lyric Sample: “Well, on a train, I met a dame, she rather handsome, we kind of looked the same.”
Originally a ’50s blues song, Aerosmith’s version turned it into a hard rock staple. The song ties the unstoppable motion of a train to lust, energy, and youthful chaos.
15. “Freight Train” – Elizabeth Cotten
Lyric Sample: “Freight train, freight train, going so fast.”
Cotten wrote this folk song as a teenager, and it later became one of the most beloved songs about trains. Its plainspoken lyrics about life, death, and the sound of passing trains gave it staying power across generations.
16. “Midnight Train to Memphis” – Chris Stapleton
Lyric Sample: “Forty nights to sit and listen to the midnight train to Memphis.”
Stapleton’s modern country song tells the story of a man serving time in prison. The train becomes a steady presence as he counts down to freedom.
17. “Night Train” – James Brown
Lyric Sample: “All aboard, the night train.”
This mostly instrumental funk track celebrates the energy and excitement of a cross-country train ride. Brown calls out cities along the route, turning the night train into a moving party across America.
18. “Train Song” – Vashti Bunyan
Lyric Sample: “It’s so many miles and so long since I’ve met you.”
“Train Song” follows a train journey as the narrator tries to get back to someone important to her. It’s a hidden gem from the ’60s folk revival.
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19. “Take the ‘A’ Train” – Duke Ellington ft. Ella Fitzgerald
Lyric Sample: “You must take the ‘A’ train, to go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem.”
This jazz classic, sung by Ella Fitzgerald, follows a train heading into Harlem. It’s a signature tune from the big band era.
20. “People Get Ready” – The Impressions
Lyric Sample: “People get ready, there’s a train a-coming.”
Curtis Mayfield’s gospel-soul masterpiece uses the train as a symbol of spiritual salvation. It’s both a civil rights anthem and a song about faith.
21. “City of New Orleans” – Arlo Guthrie
Lyric Sample: “Good morning, America, how are you? Say, don’t you know me? I’m your native son.”
Arlo Guthrie’s folk classic describes a train journey through the heartland of America. It’s about the passengers and the landscapes, highlighting the importance of the country’s old train lines.
22. “Waiting for a Train” – Jimmie Rodgers
Lyric Sample: “All around the water tank, waitin’ for a train.”
Rodgers, the “Father of Country Music,” made the lonesome train a staple of early country songs. “Waiting for a Train” is about hardships faced during the Depression.
23. “Long Black Train” – Josh Turner
Lyric Sample: “Watch out, brother, for that long black train.”
Turner’s hit song uses a train as a metaphor for temptation and evil. He warns listeners not to get on the train, as it will take them to a bad place.
24. “She Caught the Katy” – Taj Mahal
Lyric Sample: “The train pulled out, I swung on behind.”
This blues tune describes a man who has been left behind by his woman, who has boarded a train called the Katy. It’s been covered many times over the years, including its famous use in “The Blues Brothers.”
25. “Midnight Special” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Lyric Sample: “Let the Midnight Special shine a light on me.”
This rock song, popularized by Creedence Clearwater Revival, describes a train that brings hope to prisoners. The light from the train is a symbol of freedom.
Related: Best Songs About Prison
26. “Rock N Roll Train” – AC/DC
Lyric Sample: “One hot angel, one cool devil, your mind on the fantasy.”
“Rock N Roll Train” is packed with wild imagery of fantasy, rebellion, and unstoppable energy, all tied to the runaway momentum of a train. It’s loud, fast, and classic AC/DC.
27. “King of the Road” – Roger Miller
Lyric Sample: “Third boxcar, midnight train, destination Bangor, Maine.”
This classic country track is about a hobo who has no possessions but sees himself as the king of the road. He mentions boxcars and train yards, which are a central part of his life.
Related: Grammy Record of the Year
28. “500 Miles” – The Journeymen
Lyric Sample: “If you miss the train I’m on, you will know that I am gone.”
This folk classic is about someone far from home, broke, and ashamed to face family if he returns. It’s been covered countless times over the years, making it one of the most enduring train songs.
29. “Chattanooga Choo Choo” – Glenn Miller
Lyric Sample: “Shovel all the coal in, gotta keep it rollin’.”
This big band hit is all about the excitement of train travel in the 1940s. The song describes a fun journey to Chattanooga, with the train itself being a central character.
30. “Night Train” – Jason Aldean
Lyric Sample: “Come on baby, let’s go listen to the night train.”
This country ballad is about sneaking away to the edge of town to lie beneath the stars as a freight train rolls by. It’s one of Aldean’s signature love songs.
31. “One After 909” – The Beatles
Lyric Sample: “Well, she said she’s traveling on the one after 909.”
“One After 909” is about trying to catch the right train to meet a love interest while repeatedly mixing up the timing. It’s one of the Beatles’ lesser-known tracks.
32. “Locomotive Breath” – Jethro Tull
Lyric Sample: “Old Charlie stole the handle, and the train, it won’t stop going.”
This 1970s prog rock track uses a runaway train as a metaphor for losing control. It’s among the most famous rock songs about trains.
33. “The Wreck of the Old 97” – Johnny Cash
Lyric Sample: “He was goin’ down the grade makin’ 90 miles an hour, when his whistle broke into a scream.”
Cash covered this famous 1920s ballad about a doomed mail train in Virginia. It’s about the crash of Old 97 and the lives lost, keeping the story of the historic wreck alive for modern listeners.
34. “Last Train Home” – John Mayer
Lyric Sample: “I’m runnin’ for the last train, I’m runnin’ for the last train home.”
“Last Train Home” is about racing to catch the last train to stay with someone. It’s Mayer’s second entry on this list, and it’s also one of only a few train songs written in recent years.
35. “Working on the Railroad” – Traditional
Lyric Sample: “I’ve been working on the railroad all the live-long day.”
This classic children’s song is a lighthearted tribute to the people who build and maintain train lines. The simple tune and lyrics have made it a favorite for generations.
36. “Rock Island Line” – Lonnie Donegan
Lyric Sample: “The Rock Island Line is a mighty fine road.”
This folk song, popularized by Lonnie Donegan, is about a freight train and the rules for shipping goods on it. It’s a playful story of sneaking pigs onto the train to avoid paying full fare.
37. “Driver 8” – R.E.M.
Lyric Sample: “Driver 8, take a break, we’ve been on this shift too long.”
This 1980s rock track is about a train journey through rural landscapes and the routine of the train crew. It’s an observational song describing the passing scenery and the slow progress toward the destination.
Conclusion
Whether they represent a new beginning or a sad goodbye, trains have long had a presence in music. They can be a symbol of hope, loss, or freedom, and their constant, rhythmic movement has inspired countless songwriters across pretty much all genres.
If you enjoyed this list, you might also like our picks for Songs About Cars, Songs About Peace, and Songs About Flying.
