For the longest time, I could never figure out what it was about this song that really "gripped" me. I remember being "scolded" by my friend for putting it in a tape I made for him. I couldn’t really say why I did it, I just wanted to, I "felt" like it. To be honest, it’s not a very easy song to like. Not much melody here, in fact it’s very dark.

After listening to Mr. Adam Duritz’s explanation of the song in "Storytellers", I began to realize more clearly why this song was so powerful and striking. Adam equated a persons memories to ghosts which are pulled along in succession "behind" an individual, like a "train". The song itself is about getting in a relationship. When two people enter into a relationship, their "trains" collide, the relationship is a matter of getting to know each other better, sharing each other’s ghosts. For some people, this is easy, for others, it isn’t.

What struck me most about this song was how "ugly" it was. Like I said, it’s not very melodious. But aside from this, it’s got a very eerie feeling to it, accomplished so well by Mr. Charlie Gillingham’s keyboards. But basically, this was initially why I liked it, simply because of the way it sounded. But then I heard the "new" version in "Storytellers" and I was just amazed. If the original was "ugly", this one was "grotesque". It was just so….dreary, dark, scary…and almost sounded evil. This was the song in full bloom. And I really got the message. The first thing though that intrigued me was why was the song portrayed in such a manner? It’s about love, getting into relationships, why must it be done in such an ugly way? Well, that’s the beauty of this band’s amazing talent. This song portrays another side of falling in love, one usually over looked and forgotten. But nevertheless, it’s reality, a truth that cannot be ignored. For many people, falling in love, getting into a relationship, sharing and revealing your whole self to another can be the hardest and scariest thing to do in one’s life. Why do you think so many don’t work? It’s nothing to be ashamed of, we’re human, and our own doubts and fears are a big part of that.

Ghost Train is an "ugly" song, it’s not commercial or poppy sounding, I’m not going to argue with that. But well, I love it, simply because it’s honest, in it’s portrayal and message, it doesn’t deny anything, and lays everything flat out on the table. In a world saturated songs evoking carbon copy, commercial and materialistic feelings, this is a breathe of fresh air.