Daddy, What's a Train? - John Denver

Daddy what’s a train?

Is it something I can ride?

Does it carry lots of grown-up folks and little kids inside?

Is it bigger than our house?

Well, how can I explain

When my little boy and girl ask me «Daddy what’s a train?»

When I was just a boy and living by the track

Us kids would gather up the coal in big old gunnysacks

Then we heard the warning sound as the train pulled into view

The engineer would smile and wave as she went rolling through

She blew so loud and clear, we had to cover up our ears

And we counted cars just as high as we could go

I can almost hear the steam, those big old drivers scream

Sounds my little kids will never know

Daddy what’s a train?

Is it something I can ride?

Does it carry lots of grown-up folks and little kids inside?

Is it bigger than our house?

Well, how can I explain

When my little boy and girl ask me «Daddy what’s a train?»

I guess the times have changed, kids are different now

Cause some don’t even seem to know that milk comes from a cow

My little boy can tell the names of all the baseball stars

I remember how I memorized the names on railroad cars

The Wabash and the TP, Lackawanna, the IC

The Nickel Plate and the good old Santa Fe

Just names out of the past, I guess they’re fading fast

Every time I hear my little boy say

Daddy what’s a train?

Is it something I can ride?

Does it carry lots of grown-up folks and little kids inside?

Is it bigger than our house?

Well, how can I explain

When my little boy and girl ask me «Daddy what’s a train?»

We climbed into the car, drove down into town

Right up to the depot house, but no one was around

We searched the yard together for something I could show

But I knew there hadn’t been a train for a dozen years or so

All the things I did when I was just a kid

How far away those memories appear

I guess it’s plain to see they still mean a lot to me

Because my ambition was to be an engineer

Daddy what’s a train?

Is it something I can ride?

Does it carry lots of grown-up folks and little kids inside?

Is it bigger than our house?

Well, how can I explain

When my little boy and girl ask me «Daddy what’s a train?»