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  1. Tracks
  2. Sam Smith
  3. The Thrill of It All
  4. Midnight Train
Midnight Train by Sam Smith

TRACK

Sam Smith

Midnight Train

Release date: 3rd November 2017

From The Thrill of It All
Track 4
3:27
PopMusicRockAdult Contemporary
Spotify Apple Music More on Sam Smith

About This Track

A track from 'The Thrill of It All', released in 2017, 'Midnight Train' finds Sam Smith navigating the painful choice to end a relationship not from lack of love but from self-preservation. The narrator addresses a partner who has been nothing but supportive, whose family welcomed them in, yet the cost of staying feels unsustainable. Smith sings of choosing themselves, knowing it looks selfish, knowing it will cause pain.

The metaphor of the midnight train becomes the vessel for departure, the reasons present but impossible to articulate fully. The song acknowledges the contradiction at its heart: loving someone deeply whilst recognising that remaining together would be dishonest. The narrator admits to crying, to hating the hurt they inflict, but cannot deny the shift in feeling.

What emerges is a portrait of a breakup driven by emotional honesty rather than betrayal or anger. The departure is framed as an act of care, sparing the partner false hope, even as the narrator mourns what they are walking away from.

"Midnight Train" is a track by Sam Smith, from the album The Thrill of It All, released 3rd November 2017. The track is 3:27 long. It's filed under Pop. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 20 articles about Sam Smith.

About the Artist

Sam Smith

Sam Smith

Lyrics

Midnight Train

I choose me, and I know that's selfish, love
You are a dream, and I can't thank you enough
But I give another piece of me away
Every waking day that I'm with you

Am I a monster?
What will your family think of me?
They brought me in
They helped me out with everything
But I give a little piece of me away
Every single day

So I pick up the pieces
I get on the midnight train
I got my reasons
But darling I can't explain
I'll always love you
But tonight's the night I choose to walk away

Bah-bah, doo, bah-bah, doo
Bah-bah, doo, bah-bah, doo

Love you so much that I have to let you go
I'll miss your touch and the secrets we both know
But it would be wrong for me to stay
And I'll just give you hope

So I pick up the pieces
I get on the midnight train
I got my reasons
But darling I can't explain
I'll always love you
But tonight's the night I choose to walk away

I can't stop crying
I hate that I've caused you pain
But I can't deny it
I just don't feel the same
I'll always love you
But tonight's the night I choose to walk away

Bah-bah, doo, bah-bah, doo
Bah-bah, doo, bah-bah, doo

So I pick up the pieces
Get on the midnight train
I got my reasons
But darling I can't explain
I'll always love you
But tonight's the night I choose to walk away

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From The Thrill of It All

3:272017
Listen
Album
The Thrill of It All
The Thrill of It All
Sam Smith
3rd November 2017
Track number
4
Release year
2017
  1. 1Too Good at Goodbyes
    3:21
  2. 2Say It First
    4:08
  3. 3One Last Song
    3:13
  4. 4Midnight Train
    3:27

More from Sam Smith

Albums & EPs

BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall
BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall
2025
In The Lonely Hour (10th Anniversary Edition)
In The Lonely Hour (10th Anniversary Edition)
2024
A Lonely Christmas - EP
A Lonely Christmas - EP
2023
Gloria (Special Edition)
Gloria (Special Edition)
2023
Gloria
Gloria
2023
Sam Smith Stripped - EP
Sam Smith Stripped - EP
2023

Explore

More tracks by Sam Smith

  1. Both Sides Now (BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall)BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall
    6:05
  2. Good Thing (BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall)BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall
    5:22
  3. How Do You Sleep? (BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall)BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall
    4:17
  4. I’ve Told You Now (BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall)BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall
    4:38
  5. Lay Me Down (BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall)BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall
    5:27
  6. Leave Your Lover (BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall)BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall
    3:21
  7. Like I Can (BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall)BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall
    3:32
  8. My Funny Valentine (BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall)BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall
    3:27
  9. Over The Rainbow (BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall)BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall
    5:16
  10. Stay With Me (BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall)BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall
    4:37

Showing 10 of 20

If you like Sam Smith

Adele

Adele

James Arthur

James Arthur

JP Cooper

JP Cooper

Jessie J

Jessie J

Calum Scott

Calum Scott

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran

5Burning
3:23
  • 6HIM
    3:10
  • 7Baby, You Make Me Crazy
    3:28
  • 8No Peace (feat. YEBBA)
    4:43
  • 9Palace
    3:07
  • 10Pray
    3:42
  • —Leader of the Pack
  • —Blind Eye
  • —Scars
  • —One Day at a Time
  • —Nothing Left for You
  • —No Peace
  • —The Thrill of It All

    • Credits

    Production & Engineering

    Writer
    Jimmy Napes, Malay, Sam Smith
    Producer
    Jimmy Napes, Malay, Steve Fitzmaurice
    Bass
    Malay
    Drums
    Earl Harvin, Jimmy Napes
    Guitar
    Malay
    Vocals
    Sam Smith
    Assistant Recording Engineer
    Steph Marziano, Tommy McLaughlin
    Background Vocals
    LaDonna Harley Peters, Patrick Linton, Vicky Tola, Vula
    Concertmaster
    Bruce White, Everton Nelson, Ian Burdge, Richard George
    Contractor
    Lucy Whalley
    Drum Programmer
    Darren Heelis
    Mastering Engineer
    Bob Ludwig
    Mixing Engineer
    Steve Fitzmaurice
    Moog Synthesizer
    Gus Pirelli
    Organ
    Jimmy Napes
    Recording Engineer
    Darren Heelis, Gus Pirelli, Malay, Steve Fitzmaurice
    Strings Arranger
    Simon Hale
    Strings Conductor
    Simon Hale
    Tambourine
    Earl Harvin
    READ MORE ABOUT SAM SMITHREAD MORE ABOUT SAM SMITHREAD MORE ABOUT SAM SMITHREAD MORE ABOUT SAM SMITH
    READ MORE ABOUT SAM SMITHREAD MORE ABOUT SAM SMITHREAD MORE ABOUT SAM SMITHREAD MORE ABOUT SAM SMITH
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