The 3:10 to Yuma (song)

The 3:10 to Yuma is a folk song written by George Duning (music) and Ned Washington (lyrics) and most famously recorded by Sandy Denny and Johnny Silvo in 1967. It is loosely based on the theme song for The 3:10 to Yuma sung by Frankie Laine^[1]. The first line, "There is a lonely train called the 3:10 to Yuma", being the only obvious aspect that the two songs have in common.

While the song shares its title with a famous western movie, its lyrics reflect more generally on human existence as a whole, as suggested in the line "They say the life of man is made up of four seasons".

The song is built up around four basic verses. The first, coming after a brief intro on the guitar, reflects on the eponymous train, the 3:10 to Yuma. The narrator intends to ride this train, indicating that it will be her final journey.

The next two verses feature the narrator apparently reflecting on her past life and human existence as a whole, comparing it to the progress of one year. During third verse in particular, the narrator compares the final stage of a man's life to a winter, with death compared with "walking into the rain". This is followed by the enigmatic line "But the rains of death never fall from the cloudless skies of Yuma". The first verse is then repeated.

On the Sandy Denny version, aside from vocals, the song features a lead guitar and a double bass. The bass plays a regular rhythm of a quarter note followed by two eight notes throughout the song. Meanwhile, the vocals and rhythm are complemented by a freely-played melody on the acoustic lead guitar.

The song was initially released on the Saga Records album Sandy and Johnny in 1967. It was later reissued in 1970 on the Saga Records compilation It's Sandy Denny that has been rereleased under various titles such as Where the Time Goes, Sandy Denny or The Original Sandy Denny.