I dusted off this tune from way,way back and finally recorded it.

https://fredgrittner.bandcamp.com/track/changing-trains-2

CHANGING TRAINS


The train of life keeps moving
Up and down this line
I’m staring through the window at the rain
Wheels may be turning
I’m standing still
Cutting off a rusty ball and chain
Now the clouds are breaking
Sun starts to shine

Chorus:
Racing down the platform
Leaving all behind
Made my break
No more remains
Ticket in my pocket
Running hard and free
Won’t look back
I’m changing trains

Never did convince myself
This life was meant for me
Though others seemed to know the score
Secret dreams of freedom
Pounding in my chest
A click-clack beat I can’t ignore
Time accelerating
Soon I’ll be gone

Chorus

Don’t know my destination
Don’t know when I’ll arrive
Don’t care if I’m late now that’s a fact
Some trains are built for distance
Some trains are built for speed
Some trains are made to jump the track
Hear the whistle blowing
Time for me to go

Chorus

Copyright 2023 Fred Grittner

379:Bass, Electric, Country DoubleTime Ev 088
411:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Train Pickin' Ev 130
378:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming DoubleTime Ev 088
2828:Guitar, Electric, Soloist TrainBeatBrent12-key Ev16 090
378:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming DoubleTime Ev 088
2913:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountryTrainBeatBrent12-key Ev16 090
NashTrainEv16^1-a:Sticks Snare , b:Sticks Snare 16th

A real toe tapper. I seem to hear a bit of clipping on the vocals but other than that I loved it. Nice use of the band and great energy. Very good lyrics, they fit nice.

Rick

Fred, this is a great song.
Super vocal and lyrics.
Great toe tapper with a great backing band.

I really liked this one.

Reminds me a bit of Mark Knopfler, in a good way.
Great drive.
I like it.

Thanks, Rick. You have good ears. I pushed the vocals a bit too much. I will fix it.

z

Thanks! BIAB finally gave me the band for this song.

I've loved MK from the first moment I heard Sultans of Swing. If you hear a bit of him in this, that is great. I always heard Vince Gill singing it. MK wanted him to join Dire Straits all those years ago. Vince settled for the Eagles....

Hi Fred ...

I always look forward to a new one from you. A big smile found my face when I saw this one on the forum.

What a great lyric! And your vocals always impress me (a little essing on this one, though). the backing tracks really keep the drive going.

Great song!

I particularly liked this snippet:

Some trains are built for distance
Some trains are built for speed
Some trains are made to jump the track

Take care,

Alan

Yes, definitely a toe tapper.

Band sounds good and so do the vocals.

Reminds me of good jukebox song to play at the bar with everybody dancing,

[quote=Al-David]Hi Fred ...

I always look forward to a new one from you. A big smile found my face when I saw this one on the forum.

What a great lyric! And your vocals always impress me (a little essing on this one, though). the backing tracks really keep the drive going.

Great song!

I particularly liked this snippet:

Some trains are built for distance
Some trains are built for speed
Some trains are made to jump the track

Take care,

Alan

Thanks, Alan. Yes, I pushed the limiter too hard on the vocal. I’ll be sure to correct that when the time comes for an album.

Hi, Fred.

A train song with a train beat! The band really works well on this.

Vocals are great, as are the harmonies.

Not sure what those first 4 seconds were about, or the abrupt end. It could do with a fade out at the end.

Fun song!

Nicely upbeat song and lyrics, I like "I’m standing still/Cutting off a rusty ball and chain". Very catchy groove, good vocals and a pleasant mix. A familiar sounding train song, but still feels original, it is not easy to leave this smoothly moving train with good service and sunny scenes.

Janne

Thanks, David

The train rhythm and your laid back (JJ Cale like) vocals had us feeling like we were riding along the rails on the adventure.

Good selection of tracks, write and mix.

Enjoyed the ride!

J&B

What a fine song and vocal.
I wondered how that vocal would sound with a little slap back on it. Worth a try.

Vic

Thanks!

Great suggestion, Vic!

Hello Fred,

You enjoyed me a lot with this song.
Vocals that reminded me of JJ Gale. I think Janice and Bud mentioned the same name.
A familiair sounding melody, but in a good tempo (the train on steam)
A band, playing good altogether, with a nice solo.
And the mix has been done very nice.

I read something about the abrupt ending of the song. Maybe you changed it already, because I think it's alright.

Hans

Very very cool song.

I hear the aforementioned Knopfler, Cale influences too.

That guitar solo was pretty cool. I'm guessing it too was BB.

Well written and recorded song.

Thanks! Yes, it was a Brent Mason Workingman Blues solo style.

Fred

Thanks, Hans. Not sure why the listener thought it was an abrupt ending. I didn't change it.

Not sure if it's clipping as well but there's some aggressive essing that the reverb seems to accentuate.
Is that noise at the beginning intentional?
A very relaxed vocal quite up front in the mix - most folk'll love that. I'd like it a dB of two further back but that's a personal pref.
Well done.

Love the feel to this one! Good use of a changed meter in the pre-chorus to lead up to the chorus. Great guitar break as well!

The only suggestion I have is to make sure you mute or delete the vocal stem before you actually start singing and then have a smoother end to the song. Do you use a DAW? If so, this is easy to do there (as opposed to having BIAB doing it).

Na zdrowie!

Dewey

Thanks, Janne. I wrote those two lines this year, as I learned a bit of lyric writing in the last 25 years.

Fred,
Cool tune, good energy. Well constructed and performed. Clear mix & listens well. Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Thanks, Misha.

Thanks for the comments, RayC. This was a not quite final mix, so I will take your comments into consideration when the time comes to make it final.

Fred

Wow. Ain't no dust on it now, Fred. Wonderful moving feel. Excellent vocal and harmony. Man, you captured that feel of the speeding train. Nice catch. Good choice of tracks, too. The BiaB Express.

Thanks, Marty. That was what I was shooting for. Glad I waited until everything gelled.

Fred

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I will be out on the road for the next few weeks. Can't wait to post another song when I return.

Fred,

That's a great sounding track! I found it an enjoyable tune to listen to! You really pulled out the right RealTracks to give this the punch to make it all happen! Great vocal also BTW!

Thanks, TB

Thanks, TB! I appreciate you posting.