Down There By The Train by Johnny Cash (originally by Tom Waits)
The American Recordings series of Johnny Cash albums were a favorite of mine toward the end of my years in New York, but this song ended up being the one I learned best back then. I was playing it a lot when I met my wife, and so it stuck with me.
I didn’t read the liner notes closely enough in those days to figure out this was a Tom Waits song — I might’ve not known that until looking it up earlier this month to put on my list for this project. Tom’s original is just as sweet, even a little less dark. Oh, and there’s a bonus verse I’d never heard.
One full take after a false start, just a little reverb and whatnot, and we’re done. The end of a long week.