Spyke

Do you know any songs about trains?

I was just joking with a friend that I have no idea how he took so long to be diagnosed with autism when he has a playlist dedicated to songs about trains; he made this playlist after randomly having 3 songs about trains come on in a row when he put his music on shuffle, and decided to start collecting them in a playlist. There aren't too many on there at the moment, and he'd like to collect more, if anyone has any suggestions.

I will share the resulting playlist on here afterwards as either an edit to this post, or a comment reply. If you want to be pinged about this, let me know in your comment, and I'll make sure you receive a link to the playlist.

Bonus question: if you're autistic, what are your opinions on trains? I'm personally ambivalent about trains, but they also feel like they're my culture, because of how many of my fellow autistic nerds like trains.

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lemmy.world

Not strictly about trains, but it's prominent in the lyrics of "Casey Jones" by The Greatful Dead.

35
lemmy.world

She caught the Katy - Blues Brothers or Taj Mahal*

Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash

Midnight Special - Creedence Clearwater Revival or Leadbelly*

Love in Vain - Robert Johnson*

Locomotive Breath - Jethro Tull

Barricades and Brickwalls - Kacey Chambers

Train to Nowhere - Savoy Brown

Hear My Train A Comin - Jimi Hendrix*

*There have been loads of songs about trains or that mention trains in American blues history.. I'm barely scratching the surface, here. In the early days of the 20th century the blues artists used to travel around by hopping on freight trains to get from town to town, so they featured in many, many songs. There would have been even more songs written to the rhythm of a rolling carriage, too, that don't even mention trains at all.

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ALL ABOOOAAARRRDD! HAHAHA!

Rest in power, Legend Of Darkness.

I had to scroll way to far to find this.

4

The Monkees - Last Train to Clarkesville

Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train

Gladys Knight & The Pips - Midnight Train to Georgia

Edit: also https://hellomusictheory.com/learn/songs-about-trains/

Bonus question: if you’re autistic, what are your opinions on trains? I’m personally ambivalent about trains, but they also feel like they’re my culture, because of how many of my fellow autistic nerds like trains.

Not autistic, but an urbanist and transportation engineer: trains are fucking awesome! Second only to bicycles in terms of efficiency of land-based transportation, and with such high capacity that induced demand actually becomes a positive effect for them (as opposed to a very negative effect when talking about automobiles).

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frankreply
sopuli.xyz

Good list, but not crediting either Duke Ellington (who made it famous), Strayhorn (who wrote it), or mingus (who has a banger version of it) for Take the A Train is wild!

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GraniteMreply
lemmy.world

I'm a sucker for that amphetamines-and- cocktail-fueled level of mid-century pep that comes from Esquivel.

2

Oh yeah, it's a wild trip. Just gave it a listen, thanks for the culture

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lemmy.world

Driver 8 by R.E.M. is a great one. Will try to think of more 👍

EDIT:

EDIT 2

11

Ah well. Ijust posted this song too before scrolling the thread. One of my favorite songs of all time.

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sleet01reply
lemmy.ca

"No one"? 'm a little hurt... :)

Granted, I mainly heard the John Denver cover so that's what I listed.

2

It was written by Steve Goodman. Arlo Guthrie was like the first person to cover it, and he sort of helped popularize it. It is a folk song so it's meant to be passed around. With that said, I don't know if it really matters which version people post or even who it's attributed to really.

3

Long Train Runnin' is one of my favorite train songs, because the sounds mimic typical train noises.

3

The fact that he's driving that train comes up a lot.

5

Not by the grateful dead but perhaps my favorite versions:

Monkey and the Engineer.

Also, Garcia's cover of Mystery Train.

2

Crazy train

Train wreck

The one that goes “come on ride the train”

The one about the midnight train to Georgia

I think there’s one about working on a night train

Don’t stop believing has a train

8
infosec.pub

City of New Orleans - written by Steve Goodman, cover by The Highwaymen - the City of New Orleans is a passenger line still operated by Amtrak between Chicago and New Orleans

The Gallopin' Goose - C. W. McCall - not exactly a train but certainly a part of railroad history, the "Galloping Geese" were a product of the declining demand for passenger rail service:

Originally running steam locomotives on narrow gauge railways, the perpetually struggling RGS developed the first of the "geese" as a way to keep its contract to run mail into towns in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. There was not enough passenger or cargo income to justify continuing the expensive steam train service at then-current levels, but it was believed that a downsized railway would return to profitability.
[...]
Motors were not only less expensive to operate, but were also significantly lighter, thus reducing impact on the rails and roadbeds.
[...]
The first was built in 1931 from the body of a Buick "Master Six" four-door sedan.

The Legend of John Henry's Hammer - Johnny Cash (the Folsom Prison recording) - also not about a train specifically, but about the legendary railroad steel driver John Henry, I think it fits

Orange Blossom Special - written by Ervin T. Rose, cover by Johnny Cash - the Orange Blossom Special was a passenger train running between New York and Miami


*Bonus:

Dumb Ways to Die - produced by Metro Trains Melbourne as part of a public awareness campaign for railway safety in 2012

8

For some reason I quickly found a few in my library:

(I wouldn't mind getting pinged when you finished your playlist.)

7

Quad City DJs - C’mon N’ Ride It

No Use for a Name - Don’t Miss the Train

Tom Waits (original), Rod Stewart/Patty Smyth/Bob Seger - Downtown Train

Journey - Don’t Stop Belivin’

John Fogerty - Train of Fools

Guns ‘N Roses “Night Train” (though technically not about a locomotive but getting blitzed on rotgut)

I’d never contemplated how many songs reference trains.

7
lemmy.world
  • Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues (live from San Quentin version!)
  • Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express
  • Half Man Half Biscuit - Time Flies By When You're The Driver Of A Train
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Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express

Woke snowflake nonsense. Kraftwerk need to stop brainwashing our kids.

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Hoimoreply
ani.social

Checked the whole thread to see if the Eurovision train song was mentioned already. Chisinau - Bucharest!

2

Just a small town girl, living in a loooonely world, She took the midnight train, going an-yyyy-where

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lemmy.ca

I've got 16 songs about / relating to trains, but no idea how to export playlists from Poweramp:

  • The Kleptones/24 Hours (Disc 1)/04 0835 Kick The Bus, Kick The Train.mp3.mp3
  • 青春歌年鑑 90年代総集編 [Disc 1]/1-05 Choo Choo TRAIN.m4a
  • Gorillaz/G Sides/07 Ghost Train.m4a
  • Electric Light Orchestra/Strange Magic - The Best of Electric Light Orchestra/2-08 Last Train to London.m4a
  • The Rolling Stone Women In Rock Collection [Disc 2]/2-02 Midnight Train To Georgia.mp3
  • Back to the Future (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)/08 Night Train (feat. The Starlighte.m4a
  • The Guess Who/The Guess Who_ Anthology/1-20 Pain Train.m4a
  • Mama Africa/04 Stop That Train.m4a
  • Bob Marley & The Wailers/The Complete Wailers 1967-1972 Part 1 [Disc 2]/2-11 This Train (Alternate).m4a
  • Tom Waits/Big Time/12 Train Song [Live].m4a
  • The California Guitar Trio/Invitation/01 Train to Lamy Suite (pts 1-3).mp3
  • The California Guitar Trio/Invitation/11 Train to Lamy pt 3 (reprise).mp3
  • The California Guitar Trio/Invitation/05 Train to Lamy pt 4.mp3
  • The California Guitar Trio/Invitation/07 Train to Lamy pt 5.mp3
  • 8bit Project/SPICY INNOVATOR VS SUPERIOR MARIONETTE/04 ただ…逢いたくて - Together - Choo Choo T.m4a
  • Gordon Lightfoot/Sunday Concert/11 Canadian Railroad Trilogy.mp3

And then one that isn't really about trains, but very good:

  • The Clash/London Calling/19 Train In Vain.m4a

Honorable mentions (heard but don't own):

  • City of New Orleans / John Denver version
  • Take the A Train / Duke Ellington w. Ella Fitzgerald
  • Rock Island Line / Stan Freberg version
6

I'd even count Folsom Prison Blues. The train is a pretty big element of the song.

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lemmy.world

Does Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” count? Opens with a verse about taking trains!

4

Peace Train by Cat Stevens

Love Train O‘Jays

Last Train to London by ELO

Chattanooga Choo Choo Glen Miller/ Andrews Sisters

Take The A Train Duke Ellington

Midnight Train to Georgia Gladys and Pips

3

A few you might not have heard

Two feet ahead of the train - Michael McNevin

And I know it's a Christian song but Josh Turner Long Black Train is so good.

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer - Hey Conductor

3

The City of New Orleans, Blood on the Coal, and Know When to Hold Them.

trains are cool. despise the real ones, love OpenTTD.

3

Makes me want to fire up some rock band. That was one of the best songs on the game for fun to play, also helped that it was a good listen. It's no Green Grass and High Tides, but I think I'd need to check the game song list to be sure it isn't my #2 song on there.

1
piefed.ca

Maybe its a bit of a cheat answer, but the only song the comes to mind is I Like Trains by LilDeuceDeuce and Tomska.

3

Not a cheat answer imo — that was one of the three songs that cropped up randomly for my friend. The inciting incident, if you will

3

There are about a zillion of them. "I've Been Working On The Railroad" is the most famous I'm sure.

My favorite is Marty Burke's version of "Fast Freight" by Terry Gilkyson. I couldn't find it on youtube but here's Terry Gilkyson's daughter Eliza's version (much different in feel from Marty Burke's version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sin3FeAQAws (fixed link, had Kingston Trio version earlier, oops).

Added: Found Marty Burke's version! It's been so long since I've heard this!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8y2iIzk6dw&t=1336s

"Riding On The City of New Orleans" is another one. I mostly know it from a version with rewritten lyrics inspired by James Blish's science fiction series "Cities in Flight". New Orleans, the city, is literally launched into space.

I thought of "America" by Simon and Garfunkel but it turns out to be about a bus ride rather than a train ride. Oops.

Your friend should see the movie "Mystery Train". It's great. Also read the short story "The Hell-bound Train" by Robert Bloch. We need a song based on the Robert Bloch story, which won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story of 1958.

Added: aha! The Bloch story was inspired by an actual song from 1910 (https://balladindex.org/Ballads/R599.html)! Here's a version by Dick Flood (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L85ciHPwDf8) and none other than Chuck Berry did a version titled "Downbound Train" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zCWJNILXUg), maybe because Berry's label wouldn't let him say "hell".

Here's a half hour podcast of a spoken-word reading of the Bloch story. You might want to skip the first two minutes, which are the podcast intro: https://archive.org/download/MindWebs_201410/046TheHell-boundTrain-RobertBloch.mp3

A now deceased friend of mine wrote a parody of "Song of the Shield Wall" about the history of the NYC subway system, but I don't think it's online anywhere.

Here's Leslie Fish (RIP)'s "Grain Train", based partly on her experiences as a railroad yard worker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRvJ2xgHt0E

Casey Jones? Out there somewhere, I'm sure you can find it.

Peter, Paul, and Mary, "500 Miles".

Oh how could I forget "Charlie on the M.T.A.". A classic. https://potrzebie.review/charlie.html

Tom Lehrer, "The Subway Song": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKA8UUH2yI

Dubliners' version of "Paddy on the Railway": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kh_O2eyfX4 Again I prefer Marty Burke's version, which starts out livelier. Added: Found that too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnKjP5cywpo part of a 3-song "Canadian Railroad Trilogy". Someone has uploaded all the tapes of his that I lost decades ago!

Oh this one's important. You're bringing back so many memories. Shadows on a Dime by Ferron, title track of an absolutely intense folk album from 1984. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMvnfBwv_l4

Bob Dylan's album "Blood on the Tracks" sadly doesn't contain any train songs as far as I know.

I'm not that big a train buff but I can understand the wish for a playlist. We almost need a genre of "train shanties" to go along with sea shanties. Sure, ping me with a list!

Added: aha, there is a Wikipedia category. That sort of spoils the fun, but: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Songs_about_trains

Ok, memory jogs from that category. Locomotive Breath by Jethro Tull is great. The category mentions Railroad Bill but the version I'm familiar with is Andy Breckman's. It's funny as hell but barely mentions trains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msAuWlPZuAY

This has been fun!

3

Train train (appropriate name, but sounds kind of silly by itself) by Blackfoot

3
  • Midnight Special - Trad.
  • In the Pines / Where Did You Sleep Last Night - Trad.
  • The Beeching Report - I Like Trains
  • Night Mail - Public Service Broadcasting
  • Oh! Mr Porter - George & Thomas Le Brunn
3

9 to 5 (morning train) - Sheena Easton

This train is bound for glory

Long black train - Josh Turner

Down by the station

Baby likes to rock it (like a Boogie woogie choo choo train) - The Tractors

I tried to avoid repeats, but I have to say this one again: 500 miles - Peter, Paul, and Mary

3

More like light rail, but

Berlin - Metro

The opening line is her waiting at a train station:

Juice Newton - Queen Of Hearts

The folk standard, John Henry

Here by Tennessee Ford

Another standard, Chattanooga Choo Choo

Here by The Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge

Heatwave - Groove Line

The O'Jays - Love Train, aka the Soul Train intro song

The Gap Band - Party Train

About a proverbial train

Georgio Moroder - Chase, aka the theme from Midnight Express

Any number of songs about hobos https://www.polarityrecords.com/songs-about-hobos.html
What is/was a hobo, you ask?

Hank Snow - The Last Ride

3

Doesn't Kenny Rogers' The Gambler take place on a train? not about a train per say but the story is set on a train, right?

2

Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotton (so good) Orange Blossom Special by Johnny Cash Rock Island Line by Leadbelly

2

One of my favorite artists, Tim Barry, does (or maybe did) some train hopping so some of his songs are about his experience riding in boxcars and that's reflected in his album art. A few of his that come to mind are: Driver Pull Chirch of Level Track Steel Road

But for an actual song about a train, I didn't see "Wabash Cannonball" yet. You can make a playlist from different Artists renditions of this song. Roy Acuff's take on it is the one that I associate with the song but the Limeliters is probably my favorite.

2
fedia.io

The Locomotion - any version you can find, they all rule M.T.A. - Kingston Trio Last Train to London - ELO Moonlight Express (album) - The Ivory Heart Love Train - The O'Jays

stretches: Takin' Care of Business - BTO ("if your train's on time...) Rydeen - Yellow Magic Orchestra (licensed for the arcade game Super Locomotive. for a rerelease without the license, they wrote a pastiche called "Ryzeen") Detroit Medley - Bruce Springstein (has a part about a train a-comin' that IIRC has never been done on it's own)

2

how could i forget Nigh Train! in jazz band in college we'd debate between playing it straight like James Brown or swung like BTTF (and presumably the original), both rule

1

What a superb question.

I admit these may not be what you're looking for, but there's a tale of railway hubris here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmCA2yJHGfs

And a cheery celebration of train travel here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yT4F8hzykY

Just.... not quite what you might be expecting.

I'm gently aspergic with a proper dose of ADD, so not really so firmly autistic, but I absolutely adore trains, travelling on trains, reading about trains and pretty much everything to do with them. The only reason I'm not a train spotter is that it requires a level of determination, organisation and effort that isn't really my strong suit.

2

Probably repeating here but this is my list: Canadian Railroad Trilogy - Gordon Lightfoot How Long Must I wait For You - Joe Jackson Chatanooga Choo Choo - ? Train In The Distance - Paul Simon The Gambler - Kenny Rogers (was he on a train or stagecoach, I can't remember) Orange Blosson Special - Johnny Cash Frankfurt Special - Elvis Presley The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - The Band (a bit of a stretch but a train and tracks are mentioned) Nobody - Ry Cooder (just a line or two)

2

locomotive breath but its not really about trains just uses the imagery. not autistic (that I now of) but while im not specifically obsessed with trains they are my prefered mode of transit next to walking/biking.

2

A couple old folk songs about trains are "People Get Ready" and "Railroad Bill"

There's also Bob Dylan, "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" and The Band, "Just Another Whistle Stop."

2

Almost certainly AuDHD here. The aspect of collecting train* numbers did vaguely interest me for a while, but I never had the strong desire to get into it. And for a short period of time I understood the wheel type system for steam engines**. Numbers again. Things like 2-2-2. I forget the exact meaning now, but I could probably hazard a guess what they mean.

The trouble with trains* is that to interact with them you have to go outside and worse, they're noisy. I do not like being outside or suffering noise.

But there's a genetic component to AuDHD and so I look to parents, one of whom is very, very into steam and would ride heritage railways and look at engines all day if there weren't other important things to be doing. And who was once very friendly with the model railway community, but couldn't afford to get into it themselves.

Said parent also sings the chorus from the following at random intervals among other songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7_IMEvr9ek

This might be a bit too cheesy for your friend - it certainly is for me, but there's no accounting for taste.

* Or properly, railway locomotive(s). Trains are a railway locomotive plus at least one other thing that it's pulling, like a (railway) passenger carriage or a (railway) goods wagon. Arguably, train should also be "railway train" because there are other kinds of train.

The fact I have these footnotes here is just more indication of my unofficial diagnosis.

** Railway steam locomotives, naturally. There are other sorts of steam engines.

2

It's maybe more train adjacent, but Roger Miller - King of the Road.

"Third boxcar midnight train, destination Bangor Maine." "I know every engineer on every train, all of their children and all of their names."

2

Wreck of the old 97 Bringing in the Georgia mail Orange Blossom Special

The first is no long considered appropriate.

2

Judging my number of neurospicy friends, I might be somewhere on a spiciness spectrum -- but I don't know anyone who doesn't think trains are awesome!

I was surprised not to see this one, but it's about laying train tracks, so maybe it doesn't qualify: Driving the Last Spike by Genesis

2

I know a band called Train but I don't think any of their songs even mention trains. 🤔

There is Casey Jones by Grateful Dead and Locomotive Breath by Jethro Tull that are train *adjacent. * 🤷‍♂️

2
fedinsfw.app

Hey Porter - Johnny Cash

Like the 309 - Johnny cash

One of his first, and one of his last songs are about trains.

2

Orient Express

Edit seems to only instrumental.

I only know the Finnish version originally

Pikajuna Meksikon

Edit 2 here are the translated lyrics (i didn't bother checking so it's ai translate)

Verse 1]

The express train is speeding through Mexico, it's already night The spotlights sweep the shiny track The barking of a coyote is heard, fading into the noise of the locomotive

Behind the Sierra Madre, the moon is bulging like cheese

The atmosphere in the first-class carriage is sleepy. Passengers, men, women, everyone is dozing. Then the pace slows down and almost stops. What could be the reason for the stop?

Verse 2]

The brakes squeal on the wheels, the carriage door opens. Two men rush in, talking dirty. Little Pete, Big Pat, both gangsters. Both of them are brandishing large crowbars.

"Hands up, gentlemen!" shouts a sharp command

Big Pat and shoots at the ceiling a couple of times:

"It would be wise for everyone to open their wallets now

"Listen to the one who is wearing shoes"

[Verse 3]

No one can resist, Little Pete guards Big Pat while he evacuates with his fingers the most accustomed Rings and purses, medallions, wallets

The robber also searches the suitcases alone. Nothing is left for the victims, the prey exceeds their hopes. Little Pete hisses at the top of his lungs: "Men are beaten to a pulp, but women are taken away."

"I can't be without my beloved now."

[Verse 4]

A rumbling laugh rings out, Big Pat now echoes his Partner's words and soon grunts: "Okay, that's what we'll do, we'll have a decent harem."

"Let's take the dirt to a hidden cave behind the Sierra Madre"

Then from the trap of the carriage, from among the gentlemen

Hidalgo now steps forward, says: "Señores, do whatever you want to us, but spare the women, otherwise you will have a bad memory."

[Verse 5]

A moment of silence follows, the suggestion is strange, new

Ha, now there's a commotion in the women's group too. An old maid, now, fifty years old, demands the floor and immediately gets it. Her eyes blazing with anger, she jumps on her feet and begins to vent her anger at Hidalgo:

"What is the gentleman talking about and fussing about? Let's do as the bandits order."

Huh-hah-heija, we'll do as the bandits order

Edit 3 i feel like there were more of those in the song than in tje lyrics page I looked at

2
mander.xyz

Bob Dylan, "Slow Train Coming" Also, "It Takes a lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" He's got to have other train songs, too, none others occur to me at the moment.

"Chattanooga Choo-choo" was really big something like 100 years ago.

1

Glendale Train by Ner Riders of the Purple Sage

Technically about a train robbery.

Adding:

Monkey and the Engineer by the Grateful Dead

1

Autistic.

I don't have a special interest in trains. I do enjoy the movement of them and other transport though. The movement is calming to me.

I do collect playlists on my special interests. My biggest special interest at the moment is Ireland 🇮🇪 🍀🥰

1

The newer band 19 Miles Per Hour does parody concert samples on their socials. It's often pirate puns, but there's an Alice in Trains set, so to speak. Here comes the Choo Choo. Rail me. I forget what else

1
Night train to Mundo Fine
Night train to the end
Running hard and running fast
To meet my future and away from my past
Taking that gamble that cannot last
Night train to the eeeeeend!

Hell’s ride to Mundo Fine
Hell’s ride to the end
Sold my soul to the devil’s men
He draws me hard with a merciless hand
And all I bought is a handful of sand
Night train to the eeeeeeend!

I’m on this ride ’cause I have no pride
In myself, or in men, or in God!
Now if you want to share in the price of my fare
Then fill your mind with greed that is blind
And wander in its evil fog

Night train to Mundo Fine
Night train to the end
Running hard and running fast
To meet my future and away from my past
Taking the gamble that cannot last
Night train to the eeeeeend!
1

FSK “Hobo Zwiefacher” from their album “The Sound of Music”

Song is in German. On the CD (unfortunately missing on YouTube) there’s a little intro in English describing that a Zwiefacher is a Bavarian song style featuring two different topics mixed together, then says, “This is our Zwiefacher, about incest and trains.”

Edit: also the opening scene from The Music Man is about trains in a very unusual way

1

Kasey Chambers does a cover of a Fred Eaglesmith song "Freight Train" I love it

1

Train Underwater - Bright Eyes New Virginia Creeper - Old Crow Medicine Show Let the Train Blow the Whistle - Johnny Cash

Am undiagnosed but definitely autistic. My opinion on trains is they used to scare the shit out of me when I was a child. Coal trains are all over the place where I live, and I was right up next to them while they were making terrifying loud noises. I think that ruined any interest I might have had from a distance. Now as an adult, I am very interested in the engineering and workings of trains, but not much more than the engineering and workings of all other complex engineered systems. But I'm more interested in buildings and architecture than mechanical engineering.

1

I'm a big fan of trains by porcupine tree, really great song when sitting in the train going through the country too.

1

Lemon Demon - My Trains

Please link me to the playlist even if you don't include this suggestion, because I am curious.

1

I love trains. They're efficient and non polluting. I suggest I Like Trains by asdfmovie and The End Of The Line by Stupendium

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