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Leon Russell — It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry
Album: and The Shelter People
Avg rating:
7.3

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Total ratings: 861









Released: 1971
Length: 3:58
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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Well, I ride on a mail train, babe, can't buy a thrill
I've been up all night, leanin' on a window sill
Well, if I don't make it to the top of the hill
If I don't make it, you know my baby will

And them wintertime is coming
The windows are filled with frost
I went to tell everybody
But I could not get across

Well, I wanna be your lover, baby
I don't wanna be your boss
Don't say I never warned you
When your train gets lost

Don't say I never warned you
When your train gets lost

Hey, I wanna be your lover, baby
I don't wanna be your boss
Don't say I never warned you
Now when your train gets lost
Comments (44)add comment
I'll be honest, he's new to me, but there you go. Thought it was Mick Jagger tbh - wrong! 
Posted 3 years ago by Spud_M    [ Reply ]
 JayHay-Char wrote:
Love this version of the song.  I also remember seeing the Irish folk band Tir Na Nog playing it live in the seventies.  Their version was somewhat faster due, they said "to the increased speed of modern trains" 
 
Strange excuse, not that they needed one.
Posted 4 years ago by jahgirl8    [ Reply ]
Love this version of the song.  I also remember seeing the Irish folk band Tir Na Nog playing it live in the seventies.  Their version was somewhat faster due, they said "to the increased speed of modern trains" 
Posted 5 years ago by JayHay-Char    [ Reply ]
 lizardking wrote:

I only recently realized how important Leon was (IS!!) to a lot of the music I like, and sadly his death was when it first clicked in my mind.  He played with the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, the Stones, Eric Clapton....etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. wow what a great success he IS.  Thanks BillG for spinning his records here...and Long Live RP!!
 

Even more for the people he inspired to play.  He is one of the reasons I love "Mad Dogs and Englishman".
Posted 5 years ago by folkes.tom    [ Reply ]
 khardog145 wrote:
I was 13 or 14 when I first heard Leon.   Loved it then and I might love it even more now. {#Clap}
 
I only recently realized how important Leon was (IS!!) to a lot of the music I like, and sadly his death was when it first clicked in my mind.  He played with the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, the Stones, Eric Clapton....etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. wow what a great success he IS.  Thanks BillG for spinning his records here...and Long Live RP!!
Posted 5 years ago by lizardking    [ Reply ]
Oh Leon, we miss you so!  Thank you Sir Elton for bringing him out from obscurity and creating the masterpiece Album "The Union".  Of course Bernie Taupin writes most of the lyrics as per normal Elton stuff, but Leon has a few of his own.  But every DAMN song on the album is so beautiful and touching it brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it!
Posted 5 years ago by AhhtheMusic    [ Reply ]
I was 13 or 14 when I first heard Leon.   Loved it then and I might love it even more now. {#Clap}
Posted 6 years ago by khardog145    [ Reply ]
 Skydog wrote:
Don't say I never warned you 
When your train gets lost 

 
How ridiculous! 'cept I did get on a train to Amsterdam once and finished up on the border of Belgium.
Damn trains do get lost.
Posted 6 years ago by TerryS    [ Reply ]
Maybe Brother Leon's best.  Or maybe "Out in the Woods".
Posted 6 years ago by joelbb    [ Reply ]
{#Devil_pimp}zesty ! reminds me a lot of type of material little feat went on to do few yrs later
Posted 7 years ago by primm    [ Reply ]
 hayduke2 wrote:
love Leon  (my cell phone just shook and it's my brother texting his wedding announcement {#Hearteyes}  : )  so sweet

 
Oh great. I've just become my Dad. Saw this and said to myself: "Damn kids even text their wedding announcements now". Congrats to your brother! Now; Where did I leave my corduroy pants...

Sometimes it takes a train to laugh too...
Posted 7 years ago by Lindo525    [ Reply ]
love Leon  (my cell phone just shook and it's my brother texting his wedding announcement {#Hearteyes}  : )  so sweet
Posted 7 years ago by hayduke2    [ Reply ]
 xtalman wrote:
Just heard all of Leon's recordings etc... are going to a new museum in Tulsa. 

 
Now that they have a location they might even build it… 

https://kfor.com/2016/12/15/location-picked-for-25-million-pop-culture-museum-in-tulsa/  
Posted 7 years ago by robertomiller    [ Reply ]
Just heard all of Leon's recordings etc... are going to a new museum in Tulsa. 
Posted 7 years ago by xtalman    [ Reply ]
yeah I dug him in Bangladesh concert, that put him on the big stage.  then he came out with the song about being in love with the roller derby queen. Thought that hilarious and put it on some mixed tapes and got strange looks from friends.  Ah Well it's Leon
Posted 7 years ago by mudman8    [ Reply ]
Don't say I never warned you 
When your train gets lost 
Posted 7 years ago by Skydog    [ Reply ]
Love that Leon sound… 

Rest in peace 
Posted 8 years ago by robertomiller    [ Reply ]
before Leon did this cover it was my favorite Dylan song
still is, this and 'Hard Rain'
Posted 8 years ago by Skydog    [ Reply ]
always loved this cover. long time no hear....
Posted 8 years ago by RabbitEars    [ Reply ]
 d-don wrote:
My wife always had a thing for Leon. I think she settled on me as some kind of consolation prize.

 
Nah.  She dug your sense of humour.
Posted 8 years ago by westslope    [ Reply ]
Love, love, love, Leon… 
 
Posted 8 years ago by robertomiller    [ Reply ]


Thank you Mr Fixit!

Cool Leon during a blizzard ( 9" so far : ) 
Posted 8 years ago by hayduke2    [ Reply ]
I remember reading he was on stage with Harrison on the Biafra  concert which elevated him to a whole different level nation wide.
Posted 9 years ago by mudman8    [ Reply ]
I had a thing for Leon back in 70s and have always appreciated him tho I own nothing of his now.
Posted 9 years ago by mudman8    [ Reply ]
Yeeeeeeeeeeah Leon! I wanna be a Shelter People!
Posted 9 years ago by thewiseking    [ Reply ]
 hayduke2 wrote:
'71!  Sue C had a party (we were in 8th grade) and she and the other ladies were ogling over Leon's album portrait, those killer shades and all that Super hair, the guys were all half-inhaling cigarettes and talking about the Mets…Leon was too deep for me at that time but his music is great to experience again (guess I've matured abit)

 

Always loved Hayduke's writings, BTW ...


Posted 9 years ago by Misterfixit    [ Reply ]
Always loved Leon.

He belongs with Greg Allman now......making great music on the retro circuit.

Get together guys........come to Artpark in Lewiston and ROCK IT!!! 
Posted 9 years ago by Bultaco    [ Reply ]
 d-don wrote:
My wife always had a thing for Leon. I think she settled on me as some kind of consolation prize.

 
Yeah, my first wife had a thing for Bloomfield. We didn't last long--then again, neither did he. She's on No. 4 now.
Posted 10 years ago by WonderLizard    [ Reply ]
'71!  Sue C had a party (we were in 8th grade) and she and the other ladies were ogling over Leon's album portrait, those killer shades and all that Super hair, the guys were all half-inhaling cigarettes and talking about the Mets…Leon was too deep for me at that time but his music is great to experience again (guess I've matured abit)
Posted 10 years ago by hayduke2    [ Reply ]
My wife always had a thing for Leon. I think she settled on me as some kind of consolation prize.
Posted 11 years ago by d-don    [ Reply ]
Nice way to start my work day!!

One more day and then it's ON!!
Posted 11 years ago by shellbella    [ Reply ]
 WonderLizard wrote:
two jews blues!

Yeah, that was the Stills side, Side 2, of Super Session. Bloomfield crashed during the album's recording sessions, and Kooper went and got Stills to finish up. Unwittingly, Kooper, who really wanted to do this monumental white-boys-do-the-blues record, ended up creating a classic largely due to the contrast created between the Bloomfield side and Stills's amazing guitar on this song and "Season of the Witch." He still didn't have enough to fill the album and put on Harvey Brooks's "Harvey's Tune," carried entirely by the horns which were "added as an afterthought" (from the liner notes). So, I'm thinking to this day, if the horns were an afterthought, what was Harvey's tune? Pretty funny.

 


Posted 11 years ago by walkerpub    [ Reply ]
always loved this song - nice cover
Posted 11 years ago by ploba    [ Reply ]
Well, he seems way out of it these days. And he has put out some serious dreck over the years, but I thought he was a god about this time.

 ThePoose wrote:
Nevertheless, Leon is still groovy.

 djengs wrote:
Wore out the grooves on this album back in the day...

 

 


Posted 12 years ago by djengs    [ Reply ]
 anabel wrote:
thanks to whoever did the upload on this song, anything Leon is always welcome! {#Clap}
 

Posted 12 years ago by jagdriver    [ Reply ]
 run4more wrote:
When I first bought this album (yeah, back in the day) it took me awhile to get into it.  Later became one of my prized possessions.  Great to hear it on the RP. For me, this is right up there with the Bloomfield, Kooper & Stills version of the song (yes I know that Dylan guy started it all). 

Yeah, that was the Stills side, Side 2, of Super Session. Bloomfield crashed during the album's recording sessions, and Kooper went and got Stills to finish up. Unwittingly, Kooper, who really wanted to do this monumental white-boys-do-the-blues record, ended up creating a classic largely due to the contrast created between the Bloomfield side and Stills's amazing guitar on this song and "Season of the Witch." He still didn't have enough to fill the album and put on Harvey Brooks's "Harvey's Tune," carried entirely by the horns which were "added as an afterthought" (from the liner notes). So, I'm thinking to this day, if the horns were an afterthought, what was Harvey's tune? Pretty funny.
Posted 12 years ago by WonderLizard    [ Reply ]
This is good, but making me crave to hear Bob Dylan's original.. can't wait!
Posted 12 years ago by MyAuthor    [ Reply ]
I have head a few things from this album... sounds good!
Posted 12 years ago by whtahtefcuk    [ Reply ]
Bob interpreted splendidly
Posted 13 years ago by lemmoth    [ Reply ]
Nevertheless, Leon is still groovy.

 djengs wrote:
Wore out the grooves on this album back in the day...

 

Posted 13 years ago by ThePoose    [ Reply ]
An album full of the most wonderful artists you could ever assemble to play music. So many stories in that list.Wow.
Posted 13 years ago by sherf    [ Reply ]
When I first bought this album (yeah, back in the day) it took me awhile to get into it.  Later became one of my prized possessions.  Great to hear it on the RP. For me, this is right up there with the Bloomfield, Kooper & Stills version of the song (yes I know that Dylan guy started it all).


Posted 13 years ago by run4more    [ Reply ]
thanks to whoever did the upload on this song, anything Leon is always welcome! {#Clap}
Posted 13 years ago by anabel    [ Reply ]
Wore out the grooves on this album back in the day...

Posted 13 years ago by djengs    [ Reply ]