In reflecting on his songwriting process, particularly for tracks on the album [Wrote a Song for Everyone], John Fogerty shared a revealing anecdote about the evolution of “Train of Fools.” Initially, the spark for the song led him down a different path. “Actually, when I got the idea [for ‘Train of Fools’], first I wrote another song,” Fogerty recounted. This initial version, also titled “Train of Fools,” leaned towards a less serious tone, which he playfully described as “fat Elvis,” even mimicking a sample, ‘hoo-a hoo-a train of fools.'” Faced with a tight deadline to produce a song within 24 hours before a studio session with his band, Fogerty completed this first attempt. However, he felt it fell short of his standards. “I finished this dreadful thing, but it wasn’t good enough,” he admitted. Recognizing its inadequacy, he decided to discard it and start anew, remarkably keeping the same title. He noted the unusual nature of this creative reset, “Usually that’s so tainted you’ve got to put it away for a while.”
The core concept of the “train of fools” resonated deeply with Fogerty, driving him to explore its potential. “But what is this train of fools? I knew it was a really solid concept,” he explained. This question propelled him to develop a narrative populated with distinct characters, each with their own backstory. He envisioned it as “kind of a morality play,” and later, drawing a vivid comparison, likened it to “almost like an episode of Twilight Zone.” In his mind, he could almost hear the iconic introduction of Rod Serling, setting the stage with, “Here’s the gambler and here’s the loser and here’s the pretty maiden who’s deceitful.”
Despite feeling that the song was essentially complete and even recording it with his band, a sense of incompleteness lingered. “Anyway, the song was basically done, and I actually went into the studio and recorded it with the band, but I just felt that the song was incomplete,” Fogerty stated. While the song possessed a narrative arc, guiding the listener through a descriptive journey, it lacked a definitive resolution. Driven by a desire for a more impactful conclusion, Fogerty was prepared to scrap the recorded version. “And so I said, it’s got to be more. Even though the song was already recorded, I was willing to throw it out.”
Working on refining “Train of Fools,” a pivotal line emerged: “One will be addicted / Chained to the devil’s cross / That one’s going to die before he’s old.” Initially, this stark pronouncement served as the song’s ending, transitioning into the chorus. However, Fogerty felt the need to broaden the song’s emotional scope. “That was really where the song ended, and it went into the chorus.” He then shifted his perspective to consider a more vulnerable character. “I started thinking in terms of a child.” This led to the poignant lines: “This one is a victim / A lost and broken child / Soon enough he’ll be a man to hate.” These lines, he felt, added a crucial layer of depth. “I thought, all right, pretty good.” To further enrich the narrative and introduce a theme of collective responsibility, Fogerty crafted the lines, “Those that point their finger / Will also share the blame.” He recognized the power of these words, noting, “Pretty good.”
Over several days, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place, adding a definitive and somewhat ominous conclusion. “Then—this is probably over a period of a few days—there was this little space and suddenly the line was, ‘Those that point their finger / Will also share the blame / No one leaves this train to judgment day.'” This concluding line solidified the song’s themes of judgment, shared culpability, and the inescapable nature of the “train of fools” journey.
