Desperados Waiting for a Train
Epic Tales of Aging and Friendship: Desperados' Last Stand
Lyrics
Yeah I played the Red River Valley
Reflecting on playing "Red River Valley," a symbolic gesture possibly linked to memories or experiences.
He'd sit in the kitchen and cry
The old man expresses emotion, suggesting a sentimental connection to the past.
Run the fingers through seventy years of livin'
Describing the act of running fingers through a long life, pondering its depth and richness.
"Wonder, if every well he'd drilled gone dry?"
Questioning if the fruits of a lifetime's efforts have run dry, possibly referencing personal achievements or regrets.
We was friends, me and this old man
Establishing a friendship between the narrator and the old man, both identified as "Desperados waiting for a train."
Desperados waitin' for a train
Repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the shared identity of the narrator and the old man as desperados.
Desperados waitin' for a train
-Soon as I could walk he'd take me with him
Recalling childhood memories of accompanying the old man to the Green Frog Cafe.
To a place called the Green Frog Cafe
Describing the setting where older men share stories, possibly embellished, and play dominoes.
There was old men with beer guts and dominoes
Depicting the atmosphere of the Green Frog Cafe and the stories told by old men.
Lying 'bout their lives while they played
-And I was just a kid, they all called me Sidekick
Identifying the narrator as a child nicknamed "Sidekick" among the desperados.
Desperados waitin' for a train
Reiteration of the desperados waiting for a train, reinforcing their shared identity.
Desperados waitin' for a train
-Yeah he's a drifter, he's a driller of oil wells
Characterizing the old man as a drifter and oil well driller with a worldly demeanor.
He's an old school man of the world
Highlighting the old man's traditional values and experiences.
He taught me how to drive his car when he's too drunk to
Recounting the old man teaching the narrator to drive when he's drunk, showcasing a mentor relationship.
And he'd wink and give me money for the girls
Illustrating the old man's generosity, providing money for the narrator's pursuits.
And our lives was like, some old Western movie
Comparing their lives to an old Western movie, romanticizing their desperado existence.
Desperados waitin' for a train
Reaffirmation of the desperados waiting for a train, a central theme of shared anticipation.
Desperados waitin' for a train
-One day I looked up and he's pushin' eighty
Observing the old man's advanced age and physical signs of aging.
He's got brown tobacco stains all down his chin
Praising the old man as a hero despite his appearance, questioning the incongruity.
To me he's one of the heroes of this country
Expressing admiration for the old man's role as a hero in the narrator's perspective.
So why's he all dressed up like them old men
Questioning the old man's current lifestyle choices, contrasting with the heroic image.
Just drinkin' beer and playin' Moon and Forty-two
-Like a desperado waitin' for a train
Comparing the old man's current state to a desperado waiting for a train, suggesting a longing or unfulfilled anticipation.
Like a desperado waitin' for a train
-The day before he died I went to see him
Visiting the old man on the eve of his death, acknowledging the passage of time.
Yeah I was grown and he was almost gone
Reflecting on the narrator's maturity and the old man's imminent departure.
We closed our eyes and dreamed us up a kitchen
Shared reverie of a kitchen, possibly a metaphor for their shared memories and experiences.
We played another verse of that old song
-Yeah Jack you know, that son-of-a-bitch is comin'
Referencing someone named Jack and the inevitability of his arrival, akin to desperados waiting for a train.
Like desperados waitin' for a train
Repetition of the desperados waiting for a train, underscoring the anticipation of the unknown.
Like desperados waitin' for a train
-Like desperados waitin' for a train
-Like desperados waitin' for a train
-Desperados waitin' for a train
Final repetition of desperados waiting for a train, concluding the song with the central theme.
Desperados waitin'
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