We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Diesel Town

from Diesel Town by Rick Todd

supported by
C Monster
C Monster thumbnail
/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $1 USD  or more

     

  • Buy the Full Digital Album

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Eco-friendly wallet cover, no plastic, no shrink wrap

    Includes unlimited streaming of Diesel Town via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days

      $10 USD or more 

     

about

I grew up in a railroad town, North Platte, Nebraska. The banging of the cars in the hump yard, the roars of the diesel engines, the whistles wailing at the crossings were a constant presence in my young life lived a few blocks from the Union Pacific mainline. For most, high school then a job with Uncle Pete (the Union Pacific) was the expected path. It could also be a trap that owned your time and life in exchange for a decent living. The railroad was also my first connection with Amarillo, Texas. I was part of the Ground Zero network that tracked the nuke bomb-laden White Trains from Pantex near Amarillo to the submarine base in Bangor, Washington. I was a spotter at O'Fallon's Switch. Knowing where the trains were going let us organize protests along the route. A train can be escape or trap, life or death. It takes a song to encompass these dichotomies.

lyrics

DIESEL TOWN

The trains pull in, but nothing pulls out
The railroad bulls watch them tear the depot down
Some clock clicks a schedule I cannot see
Conductor grinds his watch into the ground

There’s a time table here, but nobody’s saying
A fare bein’ charged you best be paying
You’re late on the rails, but no one’s staying around
All aboard for Diesel Town

From the grass of Wyoming to the steel of Chicago
The singing rails move your burning coal
From the Texas Plains to the Puget Sound
Prayers and songs while the death-white bomb cars roll

There’s a time table here, but nobody’s saying
A fare bein’ charged you best be paying
You’re late on the rails, but no one’s staying around
All aboard for Diesel Town

I watch ’til late the fire’s red glow
The hump-backed lights as they shine into the clouds
I listen to the screech and scream of the wheels
Beneath the dirty black diesel growls

Wild hand on the throttle running out of control
The rails spin a web into my soul
I’m caught in a trap that surely must
Drag me down
All aboard for Diesel Town

credits

from Diesel Town, released July 1, 2023
Rick Todd: Vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, harmonica

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Rick Todd image

Rick Todd Amarillo, Texas

Rick Todd is a songwriter, performer and multi-instrumentalist based in Amarillo, Texas. His music resonates from a space between Americana, folk, and country. After a few lifetimes as a Telecaster-slinging rocker, farm manager, studio producer and engineer, and award-winning research scientist, Todd turned his creative talents to making music once again. The result is Diesel Town. ... more

contact / help

Contact Rick Todd

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

If you like Rick Todd, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring interviews with LA music scene pillar Kamasi Washington, and new London-based duo Mrcy.

listen now