Ghost Train (Kevin Ayers Lyric and Link)

I'm sitting here picking the holes in my sneakers --

Watching the moves of those Midnight Creepers.

There's a smell of a song rustling through my head --

Something about being somewhere else instead.

And the ghost train comes blowing on in -- through this town;

Picking up the passengers -- Then putting them down.

And the wind steals a leaf,  Like the ghost of a thief,

And the autumnal wind blows around and around.

Oh those horses of smoke! -- Sneaking in through the trees.

There's a shaking and a shuddering that goes to my knees.

And I wonder what's happening?  Did I miss the joke?

Another year sleeping; 

I never awoke.

There was plenty of war; And plenty of death.

Plenty of hunger and Wasting of breath.

And all I did was scratch myself and Dream a few dreams.

And I wrote a few notes on what I think it all means.

But reading them all now -- They don't amount to much.

There's no meat to eat;  No flesh to touch.

A few dreams of you  -- And a few fish to fry;

I just sat there watching 

Another year go by.

Oh  those horses of smoke! -- Sneaking in through the trees.

There's a shaking and a shuddering that goes to my knees.

And I wonder what's happening?  Did I miss the joke?

Another year sleeping;  

I never awoke.

Reader note:  The gray (or should I say grey?) link in the second stanza takes you to a good 1998 live performance of this Kevin Ayers-Ollie Halsall composition that took place at a venue called The Gig in Los Angeles.  I would highly recommend, however, purchasing the original studio version of the song, which appeared on the 1992 Kevin Ayers lp Still Life With Guitar.  That record, which is available on the Market Square label in the UK, is one of Ayers' best and contains such other fine Ayers songs as Feeling This Way, I Don't Depend On You and the best version of Leadbelly's Irene, Goodnight I know.