Spanish Train and Other Stories

There's a Spanish train that runs between
Quadalquivir and old Seville,
And at dead of night the whistle blows,
and people hear she's running still...

And then they hush their children back to sleep,
Lock the doors, upstairs they creep,
For it is said that the souls of the dead
Fill that train ten thousand deep!!

Well a railwayman lay dying with his people by his side,
His family were crying, knelt in prayer before he died,
But above his head just a-waiting for the dead,
Was the Devil with a twinkle in his eye,
"Well God's not around and look what I've found,
this one's mine!!"

Just then the Lord himself appeared in a blinding flash of light,
And shouted at the devil, "Get thee hence to endless night!!"
But the Devil just grinned and said "I may have sinned,
But there's no need to push me around,
I got him first so you can do your worst,
He's going underground!!"

"But I think I'll give you one more chance"
said the Devil with a smile,
"So throw away that stupid lance,
It's really not your style",
"Joker is the name, Poker is the game,
we'll play right here on this bed,
And then we'll bet for the biggest stakes yet,
the souls of the dead!!"

And I said "Look out, Lord, he's going to win,
The sun is down and the night is riding in,
That train is dead on time, many souls are on the line,
Oh Lord, he's going to win!.."

Well the railwayman he cut the cards
and he dealt them each a hand of five
And for the Lord he was praying hard
or that train he'd have to drive...
Well the Devil he had three aces and a king,
and the Lord, he was running for a straight,
he had the queen and the knave and the nine and ten of spades,
All he needed was the eight...

And then the Lord he called for one more card,
but he drew the diamond eight,
And the Devil said to the son of God,
"I believe you've got it straight,
So deal me one for the time has come
to see who'll be the king of this place,
But as he spoke, from beneath his cloak,
he slipped another ace...

Ten thousand souls was the opening bid,
and it soon went up to fifty-nine,
but the Lord didn't see what the Devil did,
and he said "that suits me fine",
"I'll raise you high to hundred and five,
and forever put an end to your sin",
But the Devil let out a mighty shout, "My hand wins!!"

And I said "Lord, oh Lord, you let him win,
The sun is down and the night is riding in,
That train is dead on time, many souls are on the line,
Oh Lord, don't let him win..."

Well that Spanish train still runs between,
Quadalquivir and old Seville,
And at dead of night the whistle blows,
And people hear she's running still...
And far away in some recess
The Lord and the Devil are now playing chess,
The Devil still cheats and wins more souls,
And as for the Lord, well, he's just doing his best...

And I said "Lord, oh Lord, you've got to win,
The Sun is down and the night is riding in,
That train is still on time, Oh my soul is on the line,
Oh Lord, you've got to win..."

The cold North wind they call "La Bise"
is swirling round about my knees,
Trees are crying leaves into the river;
I'm huddled in this French cafe
I never thought I'd see the day,
When winter's here and summer's really over,

Even the birds have packed up and gone,
They're flying south with their song,
And my love, she too has gone, she had to fly,

Take care, it's such a lonely sky,
They'll trap your wings my love and hold your flight,
They'll build a cage and steal your only sky,
Fly away, fly to me, fly when the wind is high,
I'm sailing beside you in your lonely sky...

The old cathedral lights are low
She and I we'd often go there
To admire and sometimes kneel in prayer;

Lords and ladies lie in stone,
Hand in hand from long ago,
And though their hands are cold they'll love forever,

Even the choir rehearses those songs
For Christmas is not long.
And alone, I sing my song, she had to fly.

Out there it's such a lonely sky,
They'll trap your wings my love and hold your flight,
They'll build a cage and steal your only sky,
Fly away, fly to me, fly when the wind is high,
I'm sailing beside you in your lonely sky...
Fly away, fly to me, and if you need my love,
I'm sailing beside you in your lonely sky...
I'll come in with the dawn,
I'm sailing beside you in your lonely sky...
On the wings of the mourn,
I'm sailing beside you in your lonely sky...
Above the world we'll be flying,
I'm sailing beside you in your lonely sky...

And though their hands are cold they'll love forever.

Hello darling, this is the army,
I've just got the time to write,
Today we attach, there's no turning back,
the boys they're all ready for the fight.

Yes, I'm well but this place is like hell,
they call it Passchendaele,
In nineteen seventeen the war must be ending,
the General said this attach will not fail;

So I'm writing down this little melody
When you play it my love, think of me...
We'll be together in this song for you,
And it goes Lalala...sing it darling...Lalala...

They got old Bill and the Sergeant is still out there
Wounded in some shellhole,
They say this war will end all wars,
Oh God I really hope it will,

Oh how's old England, are they still singing
those songs that we loved to sing,
When all this is over, we'll go sailing in Dover,
catching fish like we used to with a string,

Oh I miss you, I miss you, I miss you so,
If they get me my love you will know...
We'll always be together in this song for you...

And it goes Lalala...I have to go now...
take care of yourself my love.

A great lord came walking through the forest
one morning with a weapon in his hand;
Rich was his castle, he lacked for nothing,
but killing was his plan;
When a white bird flew by she fell from the sky,
Nothing was found, only blood on the ground, she was gone;

Cursing his fortune,
he turned to the forest to kill once again,
And standing before him was a lovely young woman
with her hand hung in pain,
When he saw her his eyes were filled with desire,
He said "I must have her, she must be mine,
She will be mine..."

He offered her silver, he offered her gold,
but she threw it on the ground,
He fell to his knees and he begged her,
"Oh please come with me,
what you wish will be found;"
she said, "Sire, I'll go if you'll put up your bow,
and spare these creatures, leave them in peace,
You have no need..."

But her words were lost in the wind
His eyes were fixed on a queen
And all he saw was a woman
And all she was, was a dream...
Oh oh...And all he saw was a woman, and all she was,
Was a dream...

He took her and bound her with ropes tied around her
to his castle he did ride;
in the wood was a bower where stood an an old tower
and he threw her deep inside;
then the birds left the sky and a terrible cry,
brought thunder and lightning, rain falling down,
Tears on the ground...

All through the days on her face he would gaze,

peace",
and some sad lament she would sing,
Oh one day by the door, through the window he saw
A single white feather lying on the floor.
She was there no more...

Now that great lord is dying,
his cold heart is crying for the love of a girl;
for many an hour he has wept on the Tower
for she meant more than the world;
and once in the sky, a white bird flew by,
he lifted his hands, he cried out in pain
"Come back again..."

But his words were lost in the wind,
His castle was built upon sand,
All he saw was her memory,
And all he yearns is her hand...
Ah ah..All he has, is the memory,
And all he yearns is her hand.

Dennis is a menace
With his "Anyone for tennis?"
And he'd beseech me to come keep the score.
And Maude said, "Oh Lord, I'm so terribly bored"
I really can't stand it anymore...

I'm going...out to dinner,
With a gorgeous singer,
To a little place I know,
Down by the quay.

Her name is Patricia,
She calls herself Delicia
And the reason isn't
Very hard to see.

She said, God made her a sinner
Just to keep those fat men thinner
As they tumble down in heaps
Before her feet.

They hang around in groups
Like battle weary troops,
One can often see the
Queue right down the street.

Because Patricia
Or Delicia
Not only is a singer
She also removes all her clothing

For Patricia,
Is the best stripper in town...

And with a swing of her hips,
She started to strip
To tremendous applause
She took of her drawers

And with a lick of her lips
She undid all her clips,
Threw it all in the air
And everyone stared

And as the last piece of clothing
Fell to the floor,
The police were banging on the door
On a Saturday night,
In 1924

Take it away boys...

Well, Patricia was arrested
And everyone detested,
The terrible manner in which
she was exposed

Later on in court
where everyone thought
A summer's run in jail
would be proposed..

But the judge said, "Patricia,
Or may I say Delicia,
The facts of this case lie before me (knock, knock, knock)
Case dismissed... This girl was in her working clothes...

And with a swing of her hips,
She started to strip
To tremendous applause
She took off her drawers

And with a lick of her lips
She undid all her clips,
Threw it all in the air
And everyone stared

And as the last piece of clothing
Fell to the floor,
The police were yelling out for more (more)
On a Saturday night
In 1924.