Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks on which they run. Track usually consists of steel rails installed on sleepers/ties and ballast, on which the rolling stock, usually fitted with metal wheels, moves. However, other variations are also possible, such as slab track where the rails are fastened to a concrete foundation resting on a prepared subsurface.
Rolling stock in railway transport systems generally has lower frictional resistance when compared with highway vehicles, and the passenger and freight cars (carriages and wagons) can be coupled into longer trains. The operation is carried out by a railway company, providing transport between train stations or freight customer facilities. Power is provided by locomotives which either draw electrical power from a railway electrification system or produce their own power, usually by diesel engines. Most tracks are accompanied by a signalling system. Railways are a safe land transport system when compared to other forms of transport. Railway transport is capable of high levels of passenger and cargo utilization and energy efficiency, but is often less flexible and more capital-intensive than highway transport is, when lower traffic levels are considered.
Michael Edward Palin, CBE, PRGS (born 5 May 1943) is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries. Palin wrote most of his comedic material with Terry Jones. Before Monty Python, they had worked on other shows such as the Ken Dodd Show, The Frost Report and Do Not Adjust Your Set. Palin appeared in some of the most famous Python sketches, including "Argument Clinic," "Dead Parrot," "The Lumberjack Song," "The Spanish Inquisition," and "The Fish-Slapping Dance."
Palin continued to work with Jones after Python, co-writing Ripping Yarns. He has also appeared in several films directed by fellow Python Terry Gilliam and made notable appearances in other films such as A Fish Called Wanda, for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedians' Comedian, he was voted the 30th favourite by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
so all of a sudden I'm facing a
raging river that passed me by
do I turn around, do I turn my eye
to the sun in the apex of the high noon
I'm on a flatbed yellow pick up
underneath a half moon
so cut me some slack jack and jump in
the back if you can't handle the candle
they you can't handle the wax
you're just going to get sacked
it's as simple as that
but before I know it
I'm going down this itty bitty river in
a boat a little bigger
than a bath tub
my bones begin to shiver
'cause I'm aching to deliver
this water that I must give her
can I get some
down by the railway station
people moving in a new direction
take a ticket from who you can
drive that train
she was a black-tie bomb shell
out of Bombay
she was easy on the eyes
so I had nothing to say
she said take the water to the
leprechaun man you got till the bell
rings three, do you understand
a little peice of me wants to go
I don't know
turn around what do I do
I don't know
ding dong ding that's the bell
and I know you know I know
I don't know you very well
but if I did, I would groove
and hit the ground running
but I don't and I won't
so you got another thing coming
he kicked up the river
with a flick of his wrist
I popped him in the kisser
'cause I couldn't resist
I said to my side kick
I'm up to my high wick
and now I'm getting a little homesick
but before I know it
I'm going down this itty bitty river
in a boat a little bigger
than a bath tub
my bones begin to shiver
'cause I'm aching to deliver
this water that I must giver her
can I get some
Railway tracks
Mountain tops
Frozen fields
A church a dog
Icicles
On a fence
That reminds me
Of my heart
And you're in my head
Only in my head
Roadhouse
Parking lots
Factories
Stones and rocks
Metal sky
Crispy air
I'm halfway gone
I'm halfway there
Villages
I white disguise
Lakes as green
As your eyes
Railway traces
Mountain tops
I'm breaking through
These tunnel walls
And you're in my head
Only in my head
I'm waving goodbye