” --- Overnight Train (Northbound to Inverness) --- [Intro – Distant wind, low strings, soft train rhythm] Northbound… Through iron and rain… Sixteen trains between me and home… But I’m still riding… Kinghorn wind on a sleepless sea Signal lights blinking back at me Missed connections in midnight rain— Still I’m riding this overnight train --- [Verse 1] Chester platform breathing slow Departure boards in red-lit glow Edinburgh was close — not quite Perth just slipped into the night Train twelve with a question mark Thirteen missed its hopeful spark Fourteen hums beneath my feet Fifteen’s promise incomplete Aberdeen express flies past Silver streaking north so fast But every mile of rattled steel Brings me closer than I feel --- [Refrain – Low, alone] I’m riding on an overnight train Till I see you all again --- [Verse 2] A cracking weekend, laughter loud Warwick skies and friendly crowd Now it’s timetables and tired eyes Highland miles and darkened skies Tanoy sighs apologies Carriage lights and empty seats Stretching out in borrowed space Home is written on my face Kinghorn waiting by the sea Quiet rails and memory If I miss this one, I swear— I’m not spending the night in Perth up there (Let that line smile slightly in delivery.) --- [Build – Strings swell] Through the long black Moray plain Through stubborn stops and driving rain Every setback, every delay Still the Highlands call my way --- [Chorus – Full lift, backing vocals enter] I’m riding on an overnight train Towns flash by like memory frames From Warwick cheer to Highland rain Through missed connections, through delay The blazing sunsets roll on in The sleepy hours wear thin Morning breaks on heathered plain— I’m riding on an overnight train Till I can come back home again (Hold “again” — strong A4, straight tone, release with warmth.) --- [Bridge – Cinematic, emotional] Steel and smoke and northern light Carry me through the fading night Every mile a steady drum Saying, “You are almost home… you’re almost home…” --- [Final Chorus – Bigger, layered harmonies] I’m riding on an overnight train No more doubts, no more refrain Past Perth lights and open sky Where Highland rivers run wide Through every trial along the way Through every stubborn railway Morning rising soft as rain— I’m riding on an overnight train Till I can come back home again (Hold “again” longer — full release, harmonies swell.) --- [Outro – Drop back to piano & fiddle] So keep the kettle warm for me Keep the porch light by the sea Sixteen trains or seventy-two… I’m coming home… To you.
