Warren Zevon - Night Time In The Switching Yard Lyrics






Nighttime in the switching yard
Get it out on the mainline
Listen to the rhythm of the train go by
Listen to the train whistle whine
Nighttime in the switching yard

See that train...
The midnight train runs both ways

Do it
Doot dat doot dat doot dadoot
Listen to the train whistle whine
Listen to the train
Listen to the track





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Warren Zevon Night Time In The Switching Yard Comments
  1. J.... D....

    Warren rocks

  2. B.... ....

    This was released in 1978, I bought it new.

  3. B.... J....

    Exiteable boy- 78.

  4. M.... ....

    I used to play this song in a cover band. So much fun… so much funk!

  5. A.... M....

    Bob (I'm on everybodies record) Glaub,bass. Fun shit to learn!

  6. b.... m....

    I thought Excitable Boy came out in 1977-78, not 1982.

  7. T.... D....

    Such an under appreciated talent

  8. N.... S....

    This shit is and always will be absolutely insane. I can remember my dad rocking the motherfuck out of this album when I was like 6-7ish (86-87). Dope fucking album altogether. This is a gem though.

  9. g.... ....

    I grabbed the 12" vinyl version of this.

  10. D.... L....

    I’m shocked because for some reason I thought Led Dudek sang this. And I have this album too.

  11. m.... M....

    WFMU dj bud styple played this back when it came out used to record his show on cassette. Switchin Yard.!!!!!!!

  12. P.... M....

    Jeff Porcaro on the skins!

  13. b.... ....

    Warren gets funky. Listen to the train whistle.

  14. j.... ....

    Vintage bumper music for the CITY-TV (Toronto, Ontario) NEWSTEST segment.  Great memories watching the news at 6.

  15. N.... J....

    It would be great to use this song in a video of trains in a switching yard

  16. N.... J....

    Warren Zevon wrote working class songs for many years,which I admire,I met him in NYC in the late 80's he was one hell of an artist

  17. D.... H....

    dad was a train goods driver took me when a kid what a tour dallas

  18. K.... U....

    My dad would play this record a lot when I was a kid. Still love it.

  19. j.... ....

    Like a whisky

  20. S.... ....

    Great song. I'd love to have heard Talking Heads cover this...

    S.... ....

    Hey, good call. Very similar sounding.

    S.... ....

    It's been covered by Queen. They called it "Another One Bites the Dust"

    S.... ....

    Talking Heads would have killed this song w eno belew, et al

    S.... ....

    Holy shit... FUCK YES. Tina would wreck the bass on this shit.

    S.... ....

    @Nelson Saunders She wouldn't have touched Bob Glaub, one of the greats. This is is not an easy song to play on bass.

  21. j.... ....

    The antidote to 1 direction.

  22. J.... B....

    Really creative keys. Great record.

  23. s.... ....

    Who are these 9 haters?

    s.... ....

    I don't know but there are 10 now.

    s.... ....

    They must've not liked disco

  24. c.... ....

    Anyone who says they don't like this song is lying lol

  25. t.... ....

    dumb song

    t.... ....

    tulllguy reported

  26. J.... M....

    When I'm playing TrainStation on Facebook.

  27. J.... T....

    great song, well met by all. love the bass, all about the bass...

    J.... T....

    love those octave-jump fills... and used sparingly too which is one of the marks of a true bassist: keeping it simple

  28. T.... H....

    Sorta like James Brown co-writing a song with William Burroughs

    T.... H....

    omg...totally...just watched part of "Naked Lunch" mmmm Peter Weller

    T.... H....

    Yeah I Warren lost his focus on this one. Sounds a lot like another one.

  29. t.... m....

    this is what happens when one genius(warren) listens to another (prince)

    t.... m....

    This was recorded in 1978, nothing against Prince but...

    t.... m....

    loring park sessions 77, study up baby!

  30. R.... B....

    Awesome!!!

  31. r.... ....

    This is Funk, funkrock really, only whitebreaded.

    r.... ....

    rondmc44 what a black-breaded thing to say :P

  32. w.... L....

    cocaine?

    w.... L....

    Your up.

    w.... L....

    The "official video" says: Yes. Haha. Great tune, regardless.

  33. w.... L....

    Its about the R -5.

  34. G.... M....

    PORCARO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  35. F.... V....

    2manydj take me here!
    google that (arround 12min.)
    2manyDJ's - Despacio (…4 Hours Into Despacio) BBC Radio 1 Mix
    The whole mix is groovin very modern & vintage, like like like :-D

    F.... V....

    That's a great mix. One of my faves.

  36. p.... ....

    It sure is "chilly" in the Switching Yard @ nighttime...fun-kay

  37. s.... ....

    Was hooked on this tune-after he performed on the old-SNL......

  38. D.... M....

    thass way cool man
    i always saw those cats
    switchin durin our late night
    cleanin shifts @ the old
    chikken shak
    StRegis/Champion/INternational
    paper industrialtown

  39. D.... M....

    Back when this song came out I was a brakeman for the now defunct Penn Central RR. I spent many nightimes in the switching yard. They all sounded just like this song.

    D.... M....

    Altoona?  I grew up there.

    D.... M....

    No. Indianapolis. The Penn Central RR was a merger formed between the old Pennsylvania and New York Central RR.

    D.... M....

    Drex Mason . I thank you.
    My father used to be a brakeman.
    I salute you 👋. That's a tough job. Not to mention all the responsibilities.You have to keep on your toes all the time 💪💪💪💪

    D.... M....

    Burlington Northern here.... '' listen to the train, listen to the track.'' Come from a ''railroad town'' in Midwest, it even has a '' weekend Railroad Days'' celebration in June ever year since 80's. People come from far and wide to that little town, every year, for the love of trains, go figure? Dig Zevon and tune, even though it has the faint 'odor' of creosote....lol

  40. A.... T....

    tyra walton loves werewolves of London.
    excitable boy almost every song he sang.

  41. J.... S....

    another kick ass track from a fricking fantastic album!!

  42. N.... B....

    EXCITABLE BOY was in 1978, not 1982.
    THE ENVOY was in 1982.

    N.... B....

    he just got excited ......that boy .

    N.... B....

    Correct. 1978 it was.

  43. F.... ....

    so much cocaine

  44. T.... M....

    Of course Jeff Porcaro is playing drums on this. Awesome groove

    T.... M....

    @Tony Marinelli Yup. That's Jeff "Awesome groove" Porcaro on drums, all right.

    T.... M....

    I played drums and worked real hard to learn this. I love this groove.

  45. p.... ....

    Superb in every way.

  46. P.... T....

    A Train Song. Gotta love a Train Song. How about "Wreck Of The Old 97" next???

    P.... T....

    Doobie Brothers - Long Train Running
    Lynyrd Skynyrd - Railroad Song
    The Rolling Stones - Silver Train
    E.L.O. - Last Train To London
    Robin Trower - Last Train To The Stars
    James Brpwn - Night Train
    The Doors - Black Train Song
    Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
    The Clash - Train In Vain
    Bruce Springsteen - Downbound Train
    April Wine - Fast Train
    Elvis Costello - Ghost Train
    C.C.R. - Graveyard Train
    Jimi Hendrix - Hear My Train A Comin'
    Aerosmith - Train Kept A Rollin'
    Foghat - Jump That Train
    The Cult - Medicine Train
    Grand Funk Railroad - Railroad
    The Specials - Salvation Train
    Bob Dylan - Slow Train
    New York Dolls - Subway Train
    Bob Marley - Zion Train

    I'm sure there are more....

    P.... T....

    Train Kept A Rollin' - Yardbirds

    P.... T....

    Monkees - Last Train to Clarksville

    P.... T....

    Midnight Special - CCR
    City of New Orleans - Steve Goodman
    And of course, Folsom Prison Blues!

  47. D.... B....

    Cool, Circumpunk. Thanks for the share. Wore this cassette out and haven't heard this tune in years.

  48. m.... ....

    hey timothy YOU are about heroin!!!..straighten up or die within a year

  49. E.... P....

    Mr. Symonds.  How in the hello is this song about Heroin?  Get away from that silver spoon.

  50. b.... ....

    Waddy Wachtel guitar tour de force.
    Warren would sure write a memorable tune.
    Miss him lots.
    Yeah!!

  51. T.... S....

    Plain and simple - this song is about heroin

    T.... S....

    lol based off a single lyric, "get it out on the main line?" that's quite a stretch. a better argument could be made for the song being about bi-sex, which I don't think it is either.

    T.... S....

    @Gnostic Reverend FOUND THE GUY WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT DOING DOPE.

  52. G.... C....

    My money's on a casual but sardonic nod to the club scene. Nice detective work, livin outdabox. Now get the hell outta here before I change my mind.

  53. G.... ....

    All he needed was to throw an envelope filter on the guitar, and the Dead could have gotten a writing credit. Nothin' shakin' on shakedown street.....

  54. p.... ....

    I've always loved this song. I hear echoes of mid-period Little Feat, Steely Dan hell even the Doobies! Just a cool-as-shit joint.

  55. J.... D....

    ...to music...

  56. J.... D....

    I had always suspected that Warren Zevon was an alter ego of Hunter Thompson, but history proved me wrong. Still, it's a cool song from a cool album. The interpretations are interesting. I sure wish Warren were around so he could settle the question! May he RIP. (Note to kids: an "album" is how we used to listen to before there were MP3 files. ;)

    J.... D....

    Zevon and Thompson!! Two incredible people!! RIP to them both!!

  57. C.... ....

    Interesting interpretation Tim. It IS Zevon not matter what else it is. Thanks for commenting.

  58. T.... S....

    I'm astounded that this is the first comment i saw. I've heard this dozens of times, and for some reason this time i was thinking "i wonder what space this occupied in people's heads when it came out...it's not really disco, not funk...it isn't 'rock' strictly speaking, but is by Warren Zevon, so would be taken as such probably...i guess" Hah.

    I think it's just his nod to that head noddin' disco bass that was in vogue, i highly doubt it was a jab at pop disco or anything like that.

  59. N.... ....

    I agree. Funny I never made the connection, yet I used to refer to disco and its rhythm as the monotonous clackety-clack such as you would hear on a train. Very insightful.

  60. C.... ....

    This is the most logical interpretation of this song that I have heard. I don't really like it but uploaded it for a friend. Thanks for your insight.

  61. b.... ....

    Love it, it's my fave WZ track too! Still sounds great.

  62. p.... ....

    Mine too! I think making it the last track on EB was deliberate but for the life of me, I don't know why. Seriously funky groove here.......

  63. C.... ....

    Thank you for commenting.

  64. v.... ....

    This is my favorite song from this album...thanks for posting it!!!!

  65. S.... E....

    One of my fave Zevon songs! Thanks for putting it up there!

  66. C.... ....

    I uploaded it with trepidation. Not one of my faves. It was a request. Thanks for not disliking it.

  67. e.... ....

    Not taking anything from Warren, but don't this sound like a song David Bowie would do?

  68. C.... B....

    Listen and watch that train in the switchin' yard.... everytime I hear this, if I'm down, I
    can't help interpreting Warren's midnight message - that train runs both ways! Whistle
    by..........listen to the train, listen to the track...

  69. D.... D....

    Oh Ya...pleased to have a Zevon fan here. For a long time it was hard to find anything Zevon that wasnt LIVE. LIVE is ok..but sometimes I just want the recording. THANK U THANK U!

  70. D.... D....

    THANX for posting!! Loved this song as a kid...and even more now! Hadnt heard it
    jn YEARS!!

  71. C.... B....

    Okay....thanks. I'll start with Wikipedia and hope they can get me a list of
    Warren 's albums. Then where would I begin to start looking for where to purchase
    em or burn em, or what?

  72. C.... B....

    Thanks --- I have a question for you. Since you seem to know every album
    Zevon put out since 1978; could you help me obtain a "collection" of Zevon
    CD albums and how to/where to obtain them? amazon.net onl The Best of.Warren
    Zevon and it's not the same. You can write at my other E addy: [email protected]. Let me know if you can help! I be desparado! LOL

  73. C.... ....

    Wow, what an observation cj.

  74. C.... B....

    Pleased? I'm elated that someone in this world thinks of others than themselves. NO ONE
    has ever been this kind and uploaded a song I couldn't. I kid you not ! Listen to the train...
    listen to the track........>>> the midnight train runs both ways, ' betta remember that one for
    life's journey !

  75. C.... ....

    Glad you are pleased with it cj.

  76. C.... B....

    I LOVE YOU! Thanks so much for being humane enough to upload a song that fans of
    Zevon seemed to have forgotten about. I was always fascinated by train songs and this one,
    of course, is genuine WARREN --" see that train, it runs both ways." I guess there still are
    people in this world with heart. Thanks circumpunk! You are blessed.

  77. C.... ....

    Thanks Alain! I forgot it's been 30 years.

  78. W.... ....

    Hey Geoff When I think this song is 30 years old! Great choice! Have a great week end
    Alain