Black Train Song

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

People get ready there's a train coming
You don't need a ticket
Clime on board
woooooooooo !!!

Train arrive
Sixteen coaches long
Train arrive
Sixteen coaches long

Will there be no train
Took my baby, it's gone

Train, train
Comin' round the bend
Train, train
Comin' round the bend

Yeah, there will be no evil train
Took my one and only friend

Train, train
Comin' down the line
Train, train
Comin' down the line

Well there will be no rock train
Took me on and a friend of mine


Train, train
Comin' down the track
Train, train
Comin' down the track

Yeah it took my baby
And it never bring her back
Alright

Away, away, away of India
Away of India
Away, away, away, away of India
Away of India
That's right

Away, away, away of India
Away, away, away of India
That's right, that's right

Away, away, away of India
That's right


Well I woke up this morning got the crossroads on my mind,
Well I woke up this morning got the crossroads on my mind,
Don't know what's going to be, everything will work out fine,

Well I woke up this morning got nothing on my mind.
Don't know what's going to be, everything will work out fine,

Well I woke up this morning got the H-bomb on my mind.
Well I woke up this morning got the H-bomb on my mind.
Everything, everything will work out fine, yeah.

Well I woke up this morning got the crossroads on my mind,
Well I woke up this morning got the crossroads on my mind,
Don't know what's going to be, everything, everything, everything, everything gonna work out fine.

wooooooooo

Train, train
Comin' down
Took my baby
Tokk my baby
Took my love
Away

Well I woke up this morning got nothin' on my mind

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

This was an amalgam of various songs in a long drawn out blues medly during many of the 70s concerts.

It was basically Mystery Train which Elvis Presley sang. Jim was a huge fan of Elvis.
ELVIS PRESLEY Mystery Train

Train arrive, sixteen coaches long
Train arrive, sixteen coaches long
Well that long black train got my baby and gone

Train train, comin' 'round, 'round the bend
Train train, comin' 'round the bend
Well it took my baby, but it never will again (no, not again)

Train train, comin' down, down the line
Train train, comin' down the line
Well it's bringin' my baby, 'cause she's mine all, all mine
(She's mine, all, all mine)


Written by Junior Parker and Sam Phillips it was recorded in 1953 by Junior's band Little Junior's Blue Flames.



A common version has the lyrics thus.
The train arrived sixteen coaches long,
The train arrived sixteen coaches long.
The girl I love is on that train and gone."


But the Parker's version used this lyric. I am not certain as I don't like the Doors Black Train Song but I think Morrison has used both.

Train I ride sixteen coaches long.
Train I ride sixteen coaches long.
Well, that long black train carries my baby home.

Little Junior Parker -- Mystery Train

People Get Ready was originally an old Negro spiritual song about a train to heaven.
The Chambers Brothers who supported The Doors on occasion also featured it in their set.

People get ready
There's a train a-coming
You don't need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesels humming
Don't need no ticket
You just thank the Lord

People get ready
For the train to Jordan
Picking up passengers
From coast to coast
Faith is the key
Open the doors and board them
There's room for all
among the loved the most

There ain't no room
for the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind just
To save his own
Have pity on those
whose chances are thinner
Cause there's no hiding place
From the Kingdom's Throne

So people get ready
for the train a-comin'
You don't need no baggage
you just get on board !
All you need is faith
to hear the diesels humming
Don't need no ticket
you just thank, you just thank the Lord

Yeah
Ooh

Yeah
Ooh

I'm getting ready
I'm getting ready
this time I'm ready
this time I'm ready

Away In India was Morrison's own contribution and was recorded during the LA Woman sessions perhaps to be a part of ROTS.
It appears on the Snoop Dog version of ROTS but as yet has not been released as a Doors track.
It evolved from the bands early days at the Whisky from an instrumental called Latin Bullshit #2 which was loosely based on one of Gil Evans tracks from his Out Of The Cool LP.



The Crossroads section tipped a hat to Robert Johnson and possibly even Ten Years After who had a song in 1969 called I Woke Up This Morning.

Robert Johnson- Crossroad

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

For me the worst track The Doors ever did live as it is nothing more than a tedious waste of 10 minutes.
Morrison by this time was dissillusioned and spent after years of abusing his body and having his dreams of a poetic Doors shattered by his bandmates and record label.
He took refuge in the blues and this medly was perfect for a drunken Jim Morrison to ramble on pointlessly during a concert.

This jam starts out with Mystery Train in which the lyric refers to a funeral train. It goes to Away In India and finally arrives at the Crossroads. Funerals were held at crossroads because the person dying is crossing over to the other world.
Cossroads can also signify a collision of different perspectives like the weight of ideas in Jim's head...I got the H Bomb on my mind.Jim LOVED to perfom this one
John Densmore

[wplj]

I actually like it, the version on the 97 box being particularly good, in my opinion. It IS too long, though; could have used some tightening up.