The sound of a train not running 
Has been keeping me awake 
The Westmore land mine ain't run much coal 
Since back in '88 
Got on at the sawmill 
But I've got to find a better way 
Or the sound of a train not running 
Is gonna carry me away 

[Chorus]
And every time you look at me, Mary 
I want to tell you someday 
We'll leave the sound of a train not running 
A thousand miles away 

I don't want to risk my freedom 
Growing crops on company land 
But it'd be a damned sight better 
Than a government check in my hand 
I used to bring home good money 
You used to drive a decent car 
But now we go to town on Saturday 
It seems a little too far

[Chorus]

Now some nights when our baby cries 
I feel a twinge of fear 
When the sound of a train not running 
Is the only thing I hear 

[Chorus]