Mystery Train

As performed 2008-04-09 on Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... Train arrive 16 coaches long Train arrive 16 coaches long Well that long black train Got my baby and gone Train train rolling down the track Train train rolling down the track Don't want no ride Just want my baby back Got down to the station I was waitin' at the gate I asked the station master If the train is running late He said "If you're a-waiting On the 444 I hate to tell you son That train don't stop here anymore" Mystery train rolling down the bend Train train rolling round the bend Don't want no ride Want my baby back home again Train train rolling down the track Train train rolling down the track Don't want no ride Just want my baby Just want my baby Just want my baby back Just want my baby back Alternate verses performed 2009-08-28, Toronto: Got down to the station It was the middle of the night When I got down to the station The train was pulling out of sight Mystery train windows painted red Mystery train windows painted red Death black train has Got my baby and fled

Mystery Train (unreleased cover) Written by Herman Parker Jr. (Junior Parker) and Sam Phillips Performed by Elvis Costello & The Imposters (2005)  - with Emmylou Harris & Larry Campbell (2005)  - with Gillian Welch & David Rawlings (2005-08-07)  - with friends (2008-05-28)  - with The Lovell Sisters (2009-07-08) EC, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings (2006-02-18) EC, Larry Campbell, Jim Lauderdale, Jerry Douglas, etc. (2007-04-27) EC, James Burton, Davey Faragher & Pete Thomas (2008-04-09) Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello & Robyn Hitchcock (2008-04-09) Elvis Costello & The Sugarcanes (2009) First known performance:  July 23, 1989, Tokyo, Japan - snippet in medley with Uncomplicated  February 12, 2005, Bristol, UK - first full performance Last known performance:  September 3, 2009, Tulsa, OK      (70 known performances, 1 as a snippet)

Recordings by other artists

• Little Junior's Blue Flames, single, 1953
• Elvis Presley, single, 1955
• Scotty Moore, on The Guitar That Changed The World!, 1964
• The Paul Buttersfield Blues Band, on The Paul Buttersfield Blues Band, 1965
• Rick Nelson, on Country Fever, 1967
• James Burton, on The Guitar Sounds Of James Burton, 1971
• Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins, on Me & Chet, 1972
• The Band, on Moondog Matinee, 1973
• Tom Fogerty, on Deal It Out, 1981
• The Soft Boys, on Two Halves For The Price Of One, 1981
• Neil Young, on Everybody's Rockin', 1983
• The Flying Burrito Bros., on Live From Amsterdam 1985, 1985
• Emmylou Harris, on Thirteen, 1986
• Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders, on Keystone Encores, Volume 2, 1988
• Fairground Attraction, on the "Perfect" single, 1988
• Dwight Yoakam, on It's Now Or Never: The Tribute To Elvis, 1994
• Leon Russell, on Live At Gilley's, 2000
• Wanda Jackson, on I Remember Elvis, 2006

Internal links

• Lyrics