Gitaris dan lead singer Doobie Brothers, Tom Johnston menulis lagu ini 3 tahun sebelum grup merekamnya. Seperti kebiasaan yang juga diakuinya, ia menulis musik dulu baru disusul dengan lirik. Dalam kurun 3 tahun Long Train Runnin' banyak mengalami perubahan lirik pada tiap kali mereka membawakannya di panggung. Hingga versi terakhir seperti yang kita dengarkan kini, versi yang mereka rilis bersama album The Captain And Me, tahun 1973.
Beberapa grup ikut merekam ulang atau membuat cover version lagu ini. Di antaranya The Gypsy Kings dan Bananarama.
Long Train Runnin'
Down around the corner
A half a mile from here
You see them old trains runnin'
And you watch them disappear
Without love
Where would you be now
Without love
You know I saw Miss Lucy
Down along the tracks
She lost her home and her family
And she won't be comin' back
Without love
Where would you be now
Without love
Well the Illinois Central
And the Southern Central Freight
Gotta keep on pushin' Mama
'Cause you know they're runnin' late
Without love
Where would you be now - now, now, now
Without love
Where pistons keep on churnin'
And the wheels go 'round and 'round
And the steel rails are cold and hard
For the miles that they go down
Without love
Where would you be right now
Without love
Where would you be now
