"Cass County" Survivor Game

[SoaringRockyMountainWay]

This is such a hard decision. I guess I'm going to have to go with Train in the Distance.

[maryc2130]

I'm sorry Soda, but I can't agree with you at all - I LOVE Train In The Distance. In a way I am glad I have not needed to have defended it so far, but to me, it is the best song on the album. As DD has pointed out, it has have the great autobiographical lyrics, things that are very personal to Don (I especially love the verse about putting pennies on the railroad tracks), and the music is beautiful, especially the guitar solo. It's a song that I feel he has been working towards for his entire life, a bit like The Heart of the Matter was. I'd say it was in my top 10 of Don's solo tracks. I do think That Old Flame is a good song, and perhaps a bit more immediately appealing, but I think Train In The Distance is a timeless classic in the making and showcases Don at his very best as a songwriter.

I would hate for Train In The Distance to get shunted into a siding when it's so close to it's destination. In my opinion, it's the pride of the fleet.

I therefore vote for That Old Flame. I can only repeat what AG95 has already suggested:

SAVE TRAIN IN THE DISTANCE! VOTE FOR THAT OLD FLAME!

(and if, you really don't want to vote for That Old Flame, vote for No, Thank You. Anything to save Train!)

Very nice description, JCL!

I'm sad to see The Cost of Living go. It's probably my favorite song on the album, but in a way I'm surprised it's survived as long as it has.

I love Train in the Distance. It's so evocative. It brings me right back to my childhood, in a completely different place(New England) and slightly different time than Don's. My grandmother's house wasn't far from a train track, so I can relate to the part about "summer nights at Grandma's house, cozy in my bed" as well as putting pennies on the track and running and fetching them back. It's such a beautiful song.

I like all three songs left, but I think That Old Flame is definitely the weakest.I like the lyrics, the tune and the storyline but it's lacking something somehow. So, I vote for That Old Flame.

[Glennsallnighter]

That Old Flame is my favourite on the CD and as I listened to it the first time the evening it was released it was the first song that struck me and really stuck in my head. I was singing the chorus as it ended too - maybe some people call that simplicity but for me it meant that I loved it. So I want to save it and will vote for Train in the Distance

[DivineDon]

and the music is beautiful, especially the guitar solo. It's a song that I feel he has been working towards for his entire life, a bit like The Heart of the Matter was. I'd say it was in my top 10 of Don's solo tracks. I do think That Old Flame is a good song, and perhaps a bit more immediately appealing, but I think Train In The Distance is a timeless classic in the making and showcases Don at his very best as a songwriter.....

...and if, you really don't want to vote for That Old Flame, vote for No, Thank You. Anything to save Train!).

.

I so agree with you JCL, I would put it up there with HOTM and your idea about voting for No, thank you is good. It's my second favourite but I'd sacrifice it to save TITD.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

I cast my vote for Train in the Distance.

Although I appreciate the passion some of you have around these songs, I have to be honest in saying that none of the songs on this album come close to packing the emotional punch of the stupendous The Heart of the Matter for me. That one is almost incomparable AFAIC.

As of right now, this round is tied so I would encourage the players that haven't voted to get in here and do so.

[Jonny Come Lately]

I love Train in the Distance. It's so evocative. It brings me right back to my childhood, in a completely different place(New England) and slightly different time than Don's. My grandmother's house wasn't far from a train track, so I can relate to the part about "summer nights at Grandma's house, cozy in my bed" as well as putting pennies on the track and running and fetching them back. It's such a beautiful song.

Thanks from all my fellow Train In The Distance fans for your kind words. It's great that we can share in our love of this song whatever happens in this round. Thanks also for the story - it's funny because I always liked trains, but putting coins on the rails isn't something I can relate to because in the UK, almost all railway lines have to be fenced in by law and therefore it is not possible to get so close to the tracks. This is the reason why British steam locomotives were not usually fitted with 'cow catchers' on the front, unlike their American equivalents, as there was less risk of people or animals straying onto the line in front of trains.

[AlreadyGone95]

I love Train in the Distance because I can relate to hearing a train in the distance growing up and the song in general. My home is than a football field length from tracks for freight trains. I've walked the tracks and put coins on them many times. Dreams of far off places and family ties run deep describes my chilhood. I love the verse about your demons and angels staying with you. The first time I heard the song, the whistle for my local train started to blow just as the song was ending with the train whistle.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

In another tied round, the next song to be eliminated in the Cass County Survivor is That Old Flame. “That Old Flame”, the tribe has spoken and we know this is ending badly, but hope you don’t end up angry for a long, long time. You know nothing, nothing stays the same, so it’s time to move on and leave this island. The remaining two songs can step forward for the final round …

No, Thank You vs. Train in the Distance

Votes
That Old Flame – 8
Train in the Distance – 8
No, Thank You – 2

Previous Votes
That Old Flame – 12
Train in the Distance – 2

Vote Breakdown
That Old Flame – Freypower
That Old Flame – AlreadyGone95
That Old Flame – scottside
That Old Flame – DivineDon
That Old Flame – NOLA
That Old Flame – Jonny Come Lately
That Old Flame – jms18222
That Old Flame – maryc2130Train in the Distance – sodascouts
Train in the Distance – shunlvswx
Train in the Distance – Desperada
Train in the Distance – Lacken101
Train in the Distance – timfan
Train in the Distance – SoaringRockyMountainWay
Train in the Distance – Glennsallnighter
Train in the Distance – Ive always been a dreamer
No, Thank You – ktdids
No, Thank You – Brooke

Songs eliminated:
When I Stop Dreaming 3/24
She Sang Hymns Out of Tune 3/26
Too Much Pride 3/28
Praying for Rain 3/30
Bramble Rose 4/01
Words Can Break Your Heart 4/03
Too Far Gone 4/05
Waiting Tables 4/07
A Younger Man 4/09
It Don’t Matter To the Sun 4/11
The Brand New Tennessee Waltz 4/13
Where I Am Now 4/15
Here Come Those Tears Again 4/17
Take a Picture of This 4/19
The Cost of Living 4/21
That Old Flame 4/23

Songs remaining:

No, Thank You vs. Train in the Distance

We’re at the last round. This round is special, so it’s done differently. We’re not going to vote for the song we want to go. We’re going to vote for the song we want to win. This is how they do it on the real show, after all.


Once again...

VOTE FOR THE SONG YOU WANT TO WIN.


Voting for the final round begins now.

[shunlvswx]

I'm kinda upset that That Old Flame is gone.

Anyway. It doesn't matter. I'm going to give my explanation for each song and which one I'm voting for.

Train In The Distance. I did like it when I first heard it, but I started to not like it. Someone said that Martina oversings Don. Not really. I thought Don and Martina blended well together compare to Dolly and Don. Lucinda Williams overpowers Don on this song. She comes out too strong on this song. I've never was a fan of her music, but she wrote some great songs. It is something about this song that I don't like.

No, Thank You. Now this song is kinda like Dirty Laundry and Get Over It. You know Don has to have a political, television or environmental like song on his album. LOL Anyway. I'm a huge of Vince Gill and I was soo happy Don asked Vince to sing and play guitar solo on his album. Vince was on three songs on this album. I guess Don really like Vince. LOL Anyway. Every since I became a fan of Don's music. I hope and prayed that Vince and Don sing together. I got my wish. They sounded so great together. Their voices blended great together. Vince sings on a lot of people's album and I've never heard a song that Vince sang backup on that was bad.

My vote goes to No, Thank You. I was going to vote for No, Thank You anyway if it was between No, Thank You and That Old Flame. I had Take a Picture of This and That Old Flame as my choices of going to the finals, but I'm glad No, Thank You made it to the finals. This is actually one of my favorite songs from the album.

[timfan]

my vote is Train in the Distance for the WIN!!!