Bob Schwartz

‘Cause out on the edge of darkness,
There rides a Peace Train
Oh Peace Train take this country,
Come take me home again
Peace Train by Yusuf/Cat Stevens

My vocabulary includes lots of musical allusions. So after watching just minutes of the presidential debate, Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne started playing in my head.

Spot on, to be sure, but not really helpful for our much needed sanity in this moment. So I accessed other “train” songs in my mental database.

I settled on Peace Train by Yusuf/Cat Stevens. For those who don’t know him, over decades he has been one of the most talented and humane musical stars in the firmament. To mark the 50^th anniversary of his breakthrough album Tea for the Tillerman (1970), he just released an entire rerecording of the disc.

Peace Train is from his 1971 album Teaser and the Firecat (which also includes hit tracks Morning Has Broken and Moonshadow).

Peace Train

Now I’ve been happy lately
Thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be
Something good has begun

Oh, I’ve been smiling lately
Dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be
Someday it’s going to come

‘Cause I’m on the edge of darkness
There ride the Peace Train
Oh, Peace Train take this country
Come take me home again

Now I’ve been smiling lately,
Thinkin’ about the good things to come
And I believe it could be,
Something good has begun

Get your bags together,
Go bring your good friends, too
‘Cause it’s getting nearer,
It soon will be with you

Now come and join the living,
It’s not so far from you
And it’s getting nearer,
Soon it will all be true

Oh Peace Train sounding louder
Glide on the Peace Train
Come on now Peace Train

Now I’ve been crying lately,
Thinkin’ about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating,
Why can’t we live in bliss

‘Cause out on the edge of darkness,
There rides a Peace Train
Oh Peace Train take this country,
Come take me home again