The Highwaymen – Desperados Waiting for a Train

About The Song

In the annals of country music, there are songs that touch the soul, tales of love and loss, and anthems that capture the spirit of a nation. And then there are songs like “Desperados Waiting for a Train” by The Highwaymen, a haunting ballad that paints a vivid picture of the American West, a land of outlaws, drifters, and dreams deferred.

Released in 1985 as part of the supergroup’s self-titled debut album, “Desperados Waiting for a Train” is a masterpiece of songwriting, penned by the legendary Guy Clark. The song’s lyrics are a tapestry of Americana, weaving together images of dusty towns, lonesome train whistles, and the lingering echoes of a bygone era.

The song opens with a stark and desolate setting: “The town don’t look no different now / Than the day I left it, forty years ago”. The narrator, an old man reflecting on his life, returns to his hometown, a place frozen in time, while he has aged and changed. The train station, a symbol of hope and escape in his youth, now represents the passage of time and the inevitability of death.

As the train approaches, the narrator’s thoughts turn to his past, to the “wild and reckless days” when he was a “young desperado”. He recalls his youthful dreams of adventure and glory, but now sees them as “foolish notions” of a “boy who didn’t know no better”.

The train arrives, and the narrator watches as it “rumbles on down the tracks”, carrying with it the hopes and dreams of another generation. He realizes that he is now one of the “desperados waiting for a train”, waiting for his own life to come to an end.

“Desperados Waiting for a Train” is more than just a song; it’s a poignant reflection on the passage of time, the fading of dreams, and the inevitability of death. It’s a song that resonates with anyone who has ever looked back on their life and wondered what might have been.

The song’s haunting melody and the Highwaymen’s impeccable harmonies perfectly complement the lyrics, creating an atmosphere of melancholy and regret. Willie Nelson’s weathered vocals, Johnny Cash’s deep baritone, Waylon Jennings’ soulful twang, and Kris Kristofferson’s gravelly rasp combine to create a sound that is both powerful and poignant.

“Desperados Waiting for a Train” is a country music classic, a song that has been covered by countless artists and continues to touch the hearts of listeners today. It’s a reminder that life is fleeting, that our dreams may not always come true, but that the journey is worth taking all the same.

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Lyric

… {kris
] i’d sing the red river valley
and he’d sit out in the kitchen and cry
and run his fingers through seventy years of living’
wondering, lord, has every well i drilled ran dry
we were friends, me and that old man

… like desperados waiting for the train
like desperados waiting for the train
{waylon
] he’s a drifter and a driller of oil wells
and an old school man of the world
taught me how to drive his car when he’s too drunk to
and he’d wink and give me money for the girls
and our lives was like some old western movie

… like desperados waiting for the train
like desperados waiting for the train
from the time that i could walk he’d take me with him
to a place called the green frog cafe
and there was old men with beer guts and dominoes
lying’ about their lives while they played
and i was called his sidekick[willie

… like desperados waiting for the train
like desperados waiting for the train
[john
] i looked up and he was pushing eighty
and there was brown tobacco stains all down his chin
to me he’s one of the heroes of this country
so why’s he all dressed up like some old man
drinking’ beer and playing’ moon in forty-two

… like desperados waiting for the train
like desperados waiting for the train
[willie
] the day before he died i went to see him
i was grown and he was almost gone
so we just closed our eyes and dreamt us up a kitchen
and sang another verse to that old song[john
[waylon
]”come on, jack, that son of a guns a coming”

… like desperados waiting for the train
like desperados waiting for the train
like desperados waiting for the train