Originally published in Art With Words

That Gal Doesn’t Sound Lonesome to Me
Dan Johnson
© 2004

In Salem, Oregon from June 1 through July 30 of 2004, five people were killed by
freight trains in separate accidents, just a few blocks from where I live.

Each time there is an accident, the crew must go through drug testing
to make sure there was no fault on the rail line.

She wails, moans, skips along the tracks,
Keeps moving on, never looks back,
Clickity clack, clickity clack, clickity clack.
Only five blocks from my house
I hear the 3:05 in the early am,
The way she sounds, she’s calling out my name
But she just keeps a going
Clickity clack, clickity clack, clickity clack,

And she doesn’t sound one bit lonesome to me.

The 5:35 is my alarm clock,
Don’t have to worry ‘bout hearing
tick tock, tick tock tick tock,
‘Cause she’s moving north then heading east
Got to make up time, sat in the siding way too long,
On to Seattle, then Spokane, this baby is gone, gone, gone.
When she whistled low and sweet,
You could hear she’s pleased
With her hoot n toot,
And one things for sure,

She doesn’t sound one bit lonesome to me.

Then one day not long ago;

Maude Helpin

Maude was 69 maybe 72 but by the time
They found her body didn’t make much difference,
That day in early June she walked up Market Street
With a cell phone to her ear,
Way too sad, she didn’t hear the 3:16 as it howled out loud,
By the time Maude looked up, she and her cell phone were
Resting on a heavenly cloud, so sad to see,
And as the freight finally…stopped,
With…deep…regret

She didn’t sound one bit lonesome to me.
But she was.

Bobby Ramirez

Bobby rode his bike every day of the week,
He’d been over at tent city where he bought some crack,
was looking for his high,
didn’t think about looking back,
but by the time he saw the fast approaching light of the 7:42
Bobby and Bike, Bike and Bobby, all became one
And it started a long and endless night.
Bobby, oh Bobby why’d you have to do those drugs?
Your mama cries cause there’s no more hugs,
And the engineer and crew have to pay the fee,
But life goes on and

She doesn’t sound one bit lonesome to me.
Yet she was.

She just keeps sliding down the rails.
Clickity clack, clickity clack, clickity clack
Keeps looking forward, never looks back,

And she doesn’t sound one bit lonesome to me.

Dan Johnson