Tom Waits Town with No Cheer

From his 1983 album Swordfishtrombones

Lyrics:

Well it's hotter 'n blazes and all the long faces
there'll be no oasis for a dry local grazier
there'll be no refreshment for a thirsty jackaroo
from Melbourne to Adelaide on the overlander
with newfangled buffet cars and faster locomotives
the train stopped in Serviceton less and less often
There's nothing sadder than a town with no cheer
VicRail decided the canteen was no longer necessary
there no spirits, no bilgewater and 80 dry locals
and the high noon sun beats a hundred and four
there's a hummingbird trapped in a closed down shoe store

This tiny Victorian rhubarb
kept the watering hole open for sixty five years
now it's boilin' in a miserable March 21 st
wrapped the hills in a blanket of Patterson's curse
the train smokes down the xylophone
there'll be no stopping here
all ya can be is thirsty in a town with no cheer
no Bourbon, no Branchwater
though the townspeople here
fought the Vic Rail decree tooth and nail
now it's boilin' in a miserable March 21 st
wrapped the hills in a blanket of Patterson's curse
the train smokes down the xylophone
there'll be no stopping here
all ya can be is thirsty in a town with no cheer

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Tom
• Waits
• Town
• with
• No
• Cheer
• Swordfishtrombones

[kevkoala]

The Overland train between Melbourne to Adelaide used to stop at Serviceton to swap locomotives between the Victorian and South Australian rail systems depending on which way the Overland was heading. Of course now trains run non stop through there and of course, as the song says, the refreshment rooms were closed down, turning Serviceton virtually into a ghost town as the railways was the main reason the town existed.

[roger20hot]

I wish this quality of stuff was on the radio. so entrancing.

[oldiron2007]

This is what democrats do to economy's

[raindogred]

@PeterFLOYDIAN maybe its more about the Trainscience...

[kevkoala]

@bridgettemad ...were you at the Serviceton 120th anniversary reunion back in 2007? As Mum and I were there.

[PeterFLOYDIAN]

@kevkoala So this is what the song represents. 'The transience of things'... (for what ever reason). Thanks for the info, kevkoala... it puts a light to the song? 'cause I already felt it, but didn't really knew the reality around the story.

[oldiron2007]

Great song.........AND these days sounds just like Kalifornia

[lsminl]

there's a hummingbird trapped in a closed down shoe store

[..]

the train smokes down the xylophone there'll be no stopping here

[kevkoala]

@bridgettemad Yeah, I heard about that. It's a damn shame if it's fanced off or boarded up as the old girl can be still used as a b&b or for functions. I don't know if it's true but I was looking at the vic track heritage page saying they were working on stabilising the foundations as well as installing some pumps in the basement among other such works. If that's true, it's very good news indeed. The first few years of my childhood was spent in Serviceton so it means so much to me.