In the voice and lyrics of Erin Heist, “Train to Cheyenne” is a unique folk tune that tells the story of Heist’s great-grandmother Betty. The song off the album Another Rainy Day is about Betty’s move with her 3-year-old son to Wyoming to marry a cowboy she’s never met before. In this hopeful song, Heist gives Betty the space to think through her decision to move and explain the reasons for this life change to her son.
“You’ll have a pony, sweetheart, and a daddy
And a home we can call our own
It’s time to board that train to Cheyenne
Wave goodbye, as we go rolling on”
Heist’s lyrics through Betty’s perspective are full of Betty’s promise for finding a new home after hardship, leaving all the challenges of the great depression in the past. While the song starts off concretely written to the 3-year-old child, it develops into a song written for Betty to comfort herself about her decision. As she tells herself she did the right thing by boarding the train and changing her life, there’s a level of skepticism in her language.
“He’s a good man, or so his letters tell me
And I’ve got to believe in this plan
There’s nothing for us in this old city
So we try that cowboy in Cheyenne”
The lyrics “He’s a good man, or so his letters tell me” and “I’ve got to believe in this plan” show the listener that Betty isn’t completely sure this man in Wyoming is as great as he says he is, but she has to trust that things will work out. Her story must keep moving forward, because she knows there’s nothing left “in this old city” where she’s been with her son. While her dreams for a beautiful new life, husband, and father for her son may not come true exactly as planned, the song isn’t about the realities of marrying a man you’ve never met, but about hope for a better life.
After the lyrics express Betty’s nothing left to lose mentality, the song immediately turns back to the hopeful chorus as the fiddles come in, shutting out fear, and focusing back on hope. The fiddle takes a solo, giving the listener space to ponder the lyrics further as the song and story keep churning on.
“Have you ever heard that mockingbird
Sing so lonesome in the night
Many times I’ve prayed that we could fly away
And start our lives over right”
The comparison of Betty to a mockingbird shows her desperation to escape loneliness, clarifying further why this move to Wyoming is so necessary. As Betty sings through Heist’s voice, “Many times I’ve prayed that we could fly away/And start our lives over right,” the listener knows that the move comes out of a desperation for community and partnership. This trip not only provides a change of scenery but a chance to start “lives over right.” As the song comes to a close, the listener can see that Betty has a sense that how she’s been living isn’t really living, and that she needs partnership, a home, and stability to live her life to the fullest and provide the best upbringing for her son.
