Nemo James

The Song You’ll Never Play

From the Album  The Workhouse Child

I met her on a train
She was sitting all alone
I asked her where she was going
She said she was going home
There was something there between us
We both felt it right away
Two aching hearts reaching out
On a cold and misty day

Chorus
Don’t you sometimes wonder
Don’t you sometimes feel afraid
That the song that was written for you
Is the song that you’ll never play

I asked her where her home was
And I listened with surprise
She was heading in the wrong direction
And you could see it in her eyes

She had got on to the wrong train
But was staying for the ride
As she felt safe where she was sitting
And scared of the world outside

I know that we are strangers
But that’s all we ever are
Together we can leave this train
We can travel far

She said I’m sorry my dear stranger
I’m sure that you are right
But I’m not strong enough to leave this train
And face the misty night

I hear that she’s still riding
On that same old train
But the doors won’t close, and the roof now leaks
And lets in the mist and rain

So before you get onto a train
On a bright and sunny day
Remember it’s so hard to leave
And it only goes one way

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG

I wrote this song in 1989 with the shameful intention of enticing a woman away from the boyfriend she said she was tired of. In my defence, she did tell me she thought there was “something between us.” She really liked the song and got the message loud and clear, but it failed spectacularly to get a result, and I never did find out whether she got off the train.