[Intro] [Accordion opens alone, slow and melancholic — harmonica enters beneath] [Verse 1] I was cutting through the alley on my way to nowhere special When I heard the sound of something going wrong Two men and a third one who would never speak again And I ran to help before I knew what I should do They saw my face — I saw their faces, and I slammed into them They pulled a knife and I knew that I was finished Sirens and light made them run, how could I have known The law arrived and sealed my fate [Drop] A dead man, a witness with no alibi to share They ran towards me, aggressive as can be I ran before the cuffs could find my wrists I made it into the dark — with something I had missed [Pre-Chorus] Both sides want me for different reasons One wants silence — and one wants someone to blame And I can't stop long enough to tell them That I never even knew the dead man's name [Chorus] I'm riding on a train that's going somewhere I don't know and can't afford to care Every stop's a risk and every face's a question And I got no good reason to be there No good reason to be there [Verse 2] Weeks of boxcars, weeks of open country Weeks of looking over my shoulders and fearing for my life The papers say my name like I'm some kind of killer But those who did the killing know the truth I found the thing inside my coat one morning A folded paper, numbers, names, a date I didn't know what I was looking at exactly But something told me this was why they gave chase [Pre-Chorus] Both sides want me for different reasons One wants silence — and one wants someone to blame And I can't stop long enough to tell them That I never even knew the dead man's name [Chorus] I'm riding on a train that's going somewhere I don't know and can't afford to care Every stop's a risk and every face's a question And I got no good reason to be there No good reason to be there [Bridge] [Accordion drops — harmonica alone, tense and quiet] She sat down across from me outside of Tulsa Said she'd read the papers, said she'd read my face Said she'd seen that folded paper in my fingers Said she thought she knew what had taken place I said lady you should walk away right now She said mister I don't think you understand She laid a newspaper across the table And put the whole damn picture in my hand She said — I know people I said — the kind that listen? She said — the kind that act Give me one stop and trust me [Verse 3] At Amarillo she made a call from the platform I stood by the door and watched her work the wire When she came back she said — they'll be here by morning And all we had to do was wait and hope they would take the bait The men who'd done the killing came at daybreak Thinking they could take the paper back by force The badges were already on the platform waiting And that was the beginning and the end of their course [Final Chorus] I'm riding on a train that's going somewhere I finally know and finally care Every stop's a gift and every face's a witness And I got every reason to be there Every reason to be there [Outro] [Accordion and harmonica together, slowly brightening] She didn't say her name or who she worked for Just shook my hand and stepped back in the crowd The dead man finally got a name that morning And the truth came out the way it always does — loud The law cleared every charge before the evening I stood there in the sun without a care And somewhere on a westbound train to nowhere I finally had no reason left to run No reason left to run [Accordion fades alone] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A noir-western acoustic ballad set in Depression-era America — a man in the wrong place at the wrong time who witnesses a murder, is seen at the scene, and unknowingly pockets evidence that makes him the most wanted man in two different directions. The real killers hunt him for silence; the law hunts him for justice. Riding the freight trains with no destination, he meets a stranger on a train outside Tulsa who reads both the newspaper and his face — and holds the key to his freedom. Raw, acoustic and driven by accordion and harmonica throughout. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bingo Board — 2026 [A1] GoGo × Shame [B1] Klezmer × Thirst [C1] Mongolian Throat Singing × Entropy [D1] Instrumental Only × Aerobics [E1] Native American Flute × Democracy [F1] Hopera × Mushroom / Fungi [A2] Rap × Nature [B2] Delta Blues × Dark Ages [C2] Grand Country × Uplifting [D2] Motown × Awakening [E2] Surf Rock × Surrealism [F2] Accordion × Train Hopping [A3] Chap Hop × Muscle Flex [B3] Witch House × Shed Your Burden [C3] Ska × Conflict [D3] Cyberpunk × Transmittable [E3] Groove Metal × Gnomes [F3] Wonky × Ice Cream [A4] Yacht Rock × Love [B4] Screamo × Bubblegum [C4] Fado Phonk × Africa Language [D4] Electronic Dance × 42 [E4] R&B Funk × Banana Split [F4] Skweee × Dating [A5] Lo-fi Indie Pop × Cheating Death [B5] Krautgaze Drone Rock × Heartbreak [C5] Balkan Folk × Transformation [D5] NeoFolk × Hardship [E5] Classical Music × Bird [F5] Alternative Rock × Courage [A6] Harpsichord Symphonic Metal × Faith [B6] Vocal Only / Acapella × Hope [C6] Ballad × Seduction [D6] Psychedelic Newgrass × Philosophy [E6] Yodeling × High Fantasy [F6] Punkrock × Awkward Fathers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ © 2026 Ande Records Lyrics by Ande All rights reserved. https://ande-records.se/
