I know these rails we’re on like I know my lady’s smile
Re-see a dozen dreams in every passing mile
Can’t begin to count the trips
That she and I have made
But I wish I had a dollar1
For each time we both been down this grade
Nine hundred thousand tons of steel
Made to roll
Her brakes don’t work and this grade’s so steep
Her engine’s sure to blow
Nine hundred thousand tons of steel
Out of control
She’s more a roller coaster than the train I used to know
It’s one hell of an understatement to say she can get mean
She’s temperamental, more a bitch than a machine
She wasn’t built to travel at
The speed a rumor flies
These wheels are bound to jump the tracks
Before they burn the ties
Nine hundred thousand tons of steel
Made to roll
Her brakes don’t work and this grade’s so steep
Her engine’s sure to blow
Nine hundred thousand tons of steel
Out of control
She’s more a roller coaster than the train I used to know
Murphy’s sure outdone himself to pick this stretch of track2
I can only hope my luck is riding in the back
Well I have prayed to God
This ain’t the day we meet
I’ve done about everything
But try dragging my feet
Nine hundred thousand tons of steel
Made to roll
Her brakes don’t work and this grade’s so steep
Her engine’s sure to blow
Nine hundred thousand tons of steel
Out of control
She’s more a roller coaster than the train I used to know
Oo, oo, I wanna go down slow
Oo, oo, oo, oo, oo
Nine hundred thousand tons of steel
Out of control
She’s more a roller coaster than the train I used to know
Words and music by Brent Mydland
Compare line from “Loser”: “If I had a gun for every ace I’ve drawn.”
A reference to Murphy’s Law: “What can go wrong, will,” which has many corollaries. Murphy himself remains shrouded in mystery—sources list this saying as being of uncertain origin, dating roughly from the 1950s.
Studio recording: In the Dark (July 6, 1987).
First performance: December 28, 1984, at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.