TRAIN SONGS AND PAIN SONGS: RIP DON SCHLITZ

About this episode

Jon Hagadorn reflects on the significance of train songs and pain songs in country music, honoring the legacy of Don Schlitz.

🎙️ PODCAST SUMMARY — "Train Songs and Pain Songs" In this nostalgic, first‑person reflection, Jon looks back on 50 years of loving country music and the two currents that have always run deepest for him — the train songs and the pain songs . Borrowing Mickey Newbury's unforgettable line from "Luckenbach, Texas," Jon explores the roots of the great American train song tradition, from "Wabash Cannonball" to "City of New Orleans," and the way those rolling rhythms shaped the sound of a nation. From there, he turns to the heartbreak side of country music — the "pain songs" — with a tribute to Hank Williams , whose timeless classic "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" still stands as one of the most haunting expressions of loneliness ever recorded. The episode then shifts to honor the recent passing of legendary songwriter Don Schlitz , whose humble beginnings in Nashville led to some of the most enduring songs in country history. Jon revisits the unlikely journey of "The Gambler," the hit everyone turned down until Kenny Rogers turned it into a cultural landmark, and highlights several of Schlitz's other masterpieces — from "Forever and Ever, Amen" to "When You Say Nothing at All." Along…

People in this episode

Host: Jon Hagadorn

Topics covered

• country music
• train songs
• pain songs
• Don Schlitz
• Hank Williams
• songwriting

Keywords

• country music
• train songs
• pain songs
• Don Schlitz
• Hank Williams
• songwriting
• music history

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Luckenbach, Texas, Wabash Cannonball, City of New Orleans, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, The Gambler, Forever and Ever, Amen, When You Say Nothing at All

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