Graveyard Train

Album: Bayou Country (1969)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Many CCR singles clock in at under three minutes, but their album cuts could run much longer. This blues number with an extended John Fogerty harmonica solo goes 8:32. The song is in the style of Howlin' Wolf, an idol of the band and one of the major influences on Fogerty's vocal delivery.
  • In blues tradition, this song deals with love, death, and the combination of the two. "Thirty people lost their lives," Fogerty sings, before letting us know that he'll be number 31.
  • John Fogerty explained how he recorded this song in an interview with Hit Parader: "I even sat down to do that one. I sang from a music sheet with cues for myself written out. The lights were down and I just sat there, like being in my room when I was a little kid. I couldn't even see the other guys. Just me and the mike in the darkness. I had to keep my guitar from coming into the vocal mike, and I had to pick up a harmonica and play that too. It was very awkward. We couldn't do that on a cooking song like 'Good Golly Miss Molly.'"

Comments: 2

  • Harry FlashmanTo Jennifer: I thought for years that this was based on a real tragedy. But I’ve Googled the hell out of this and could not find a single reference to any actual event that this might be based on. Fogerty sure makes it feel real.
  • Jennifur Sun from RamonaAlways wondered what the inspiration for this song was. Does anyone know?
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Benny Mardones

Benny MardonesSongwriter Interviews

His song "Into The Night" is one of the most-played of all time. For Benny, it took him to hell and back.

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Daniel Lanois

Daniel LanoisSongwriter Interviews

Daniel Lanois on his album Heavy Sun, and the inside stories of songs he produced for U2, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan.

Early Days of MTV

Early Days of MTVFact or Fiction

If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?

Sam Phillips

Sam PhillipsSongwriter Interviews

Collaborating with T Bone Burnett, Leslie Phillips changed her name and left her Christian label behind - Robert Plant, who recorded one of her songs on Raising Sand, is a fan.