"Rolling Stock" is the opening number of Starlight Express and has been throughout the show's history. A pounding rock anthem to the power of engines, it introduces the reigning champion, Greaseball.
Context[]
Depending on the era, "Rolling Stock" has begun in two difference ways:
In the original London and Bochum productions, the song grew out of the Overture, with Greaseball and his gang entering in darkness, looking intimidating in their mainly black costumes and large helmets. In Bochum, Greaseball entered from the top of the bowl, rolling down the middle of the stage directly towards the first row.
In Broadway and most later productions, "Rolling Stock" follows the introduction of the ensemble engines, with Greaseball being announced as the reigning champion. In this version, the ensemble engines join the song.
History[]
The music and lyrics of "Rolling Stock" have remained largely unchanged. The song was slightly shortened as part of the 1992 "New Starlight Express" revisions. At the same time, a few lyrics were tweaked and a vocal harmony in the chorus was removed.
The 2003 US tour opened with some bigger lyrics changes by David Yazbek. By the end of the tour, however, these were dropped and Stilgoe's lyrics were reinstated.
The song's tempo gradually accelerated after the original London recording. By 2015, it had increased from its original 107bpm to 115, creating a noticeable shift in feeling. The original tempo was reinstated as part of the 2018 revisions in Bochum.
Lyrics[]
1983 Workshop Lyrics[]
The characters come onto stage in chunks as the song progresses, ending with everyone, except Rusty, onstage. It is unclear whether all the characters onstage are gang and ensemble engines, or their respective characters.
| ALL: | I'm just the fastest thing you'll ever see. |
| That streak of lightning you just missed was me. | |
| Don't stop now - you gotta keep it going all night. | |
| Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock! | |
| You got no wheels, you don’t know how it feels | |
| Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock! | |
| You got no lovers if you got no wheels. | |
| MEN: | Come on and heat me up the way you do |
| And I can keep it going longer than you | |
| ALL: | Don't stop now, you gotta keep it going all night |
| MEN: | Don't try to show you can go faster than me. |
| This is my back view and it's all you'll see. | |
| Don't stop now - we gotta keep it going all night. | |
| Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock! | |
| Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock! | |
| (instrumental break) | |
| ALL: | So get the motion in your wheels somehow. |
| The racing action's starting here and now. | |
| Don't stop now - you gotta keep it all night. | |
| Deep down inside you know that I am the best | |
| So come on, baby, put me to the test | |
| Don't stop now, you gotta keep it going all night! | |
| Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock! | |
| Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock! | |
| Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock! |
Original London Lyrics[]
| GREASEBALL: | I'm just the fastest thing you'll ever see. |
| That streak of lightning you just missed was me. | |
| ALL: | Don't stop now - you gotta keep it going all night. |
| Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock! | |
| GREASEBALL: | You got no lovers if you got no wheels. |
| ALL: | Come on and heat me up the way you do |
| And I can keep it going longer than you | |
| Don't stop now, you gotta keep it going all night | |
| GREASEBALL: | Don't try to show you can go faster than me. |
| This is my back view and it's all you'll see. | |
| ALL: | Don't stop now - we gotta keep it going all night. |
| Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! | |
| Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! | |
| (instrumental break) | |
| GREASEBALL: | So get the motion in your wheels somehow. |
| The racing action's starting here and now. | |
| ALL: | Don't stop now - you gotta keep it all night. |
| GREASEBALL: | Deep down inside you know that I am the best |
| So come on, baby, put me to the test | |
| ALL: | Don't stop now, you gotta keep it going all night! |
| Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! |
Revised English Lyrics[]
The later version of English lyrics (possibly originating from the 1st US Tour) were used in tours such as the Las Vegas tour, then later brought back for the London Revival.
| GREASEBALL: | I'm just the fastest thing you'll ever see. |
| That streak of lightning you just missed was me. | |
| ALL: | Don't stop now - You gotta keep it going all night. |
| Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock! | |
| GREASEBALL: | You got no wheels, you don't know how it feels. |
| ALL: | Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock! |
| GREASEBALL: | You got no lovers if you got no wheels. |
| GREASEBALL: | Don't try to show you can go faster than me. |
| This is my back view and it's all you'll see. | |
| ALL: | Don't stop now - we gotta keep it going all night. |
| Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! | |
| Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! | |
| (instrumental break) | |
| GREASEBALL: | So get the motion in your wheels somehow. |
| The racing action's starting here and now. | |
| ALL: | Don't stop now - we gotta keep it all night. |
| Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! | |
| Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! | |
| Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! |
Rolling Stock - Pebble Mill London 1994
London Cast perform "Rolling Stock" on TV show "Pebble Mill"
1997 Mexico + Translation[]
El Poder del Riel (The Power of the Rails) sung by the renamed Greaseball, "Turbo".[1]
| NACIONALES (Spanish): | No existe nada más veloz que yo | NATIONALS (English): | There is nothing faster than me |
| Soy ese rayo que te rebasó | I am the lightning that overtook you | ||
| Sin parar, ¡nos falta noche para seguir! | Don't stop, we gotta keep it going all night | ||
| ¡Rueda el poder del riel! | The power of the rails rolls | ||
| TURBO: | Hay que rodar para sentir tracción | TURBO: | You need to roll to feel traction |
| NACIONALES: | ¡Rueda el poder del riel! | NATIONALS: | The power of the rails rolls |
| TURBO: | Así las nenas sienten atracción | TURBO: | That's how the babes feel attraction |
| NACIONALES: | Jamas me digas que me superarás | NATIONALS: | Never say that you can defeat me |
| Confórmate con verme por detrás | Settle with seeing me from behind | ||
| ¡Uhh! Sin parar, ¡nos falta noche para seguir! | Don't stop, we gotta keep it going all night | ||
| ¡Rueda el poder del riel! ¡Rueda el poder del riel! | The power of the rails rolls! The power of the rails rolls! | ||
| ¡Uhh! Apila, a meta y a rodar | Uhh! Charge up, get ready and roll along | ||
| La gran carrera pronto va a arrancar | The big race is soon to start | ||
| ¡Uhh! Sin parar, ¡nos falta noche para seguir! | Don't stop, we gotta keep it going all night | ||
| ¡Somos el poder del riel! | We are the power of the rails | ||
| ¡Uhh!¡Uhh!¡Uhh!¡Uhh! | Uhh! Uhh! Uhh! Uhh! | ||
| ¡Somos el poder del riel! | We are the power of the rails! | ||
| ¡Somos el poder del riel! ¡Uhh! | We are the power of the rails! |
2003 Lyrics by David Yazbek[]
| GREASEBALL: | I'm just the fastest thing you'll ever see. |
| That streak of lightning you just missed was me. | |
| ALL: | Don't stop now - You gotta keep it going all night. |
| Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock! | |
| GREASEBALL: | You bet you'll never know the way it feels |
| ALL: | Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock! |
| GREASEBALL: | Rock 'n' rollin' on a pair of wheels |
| GREASEBALL: | What makes you think you can go faster than me? |
| Check out my back view 'cause it's all you'll see | |
| ALL: | Don't stop now - we gotta keep it going all night. |
| Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! | |
| Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! | |
| (instrumental break) | |
| GREASEBALL: | This locomotive's 'bout to have some fun |
| We're rock and rollin' 'til the race is won | |
| ALL: | Don't stop now - we gotta keep it all night. |
| Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! | |
| Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! | |
| Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! |
German Lyrics[]
| ALL: | Ich bin der Schnellste, den es jemals gab, |
| Denn wie der Blitz fahr' ich bergauf, bergab, | |
| Ich mach' mit und keiner kann mich bremsen - heut' Nacht! | |
| Rolling Stock, Rolling Stock | |
| GREASEBALL: | Und wer nicht rollt, erlebt nie das Gefühl. |
| ALL: | Rolling Stock, Rolling Stock |
| GREASEBALL: | Und in der Liebe kommt er nie ans Ziel. |
| GREASEBALL: | Komm heiz mir ein und dann bring mich in Fahrt |
| ALL: | Und du wirst sehen, welche Zugkraft ich hab. |
| Ich mach' mit und keiner kann mich bremsen - heut' Nacht! | |
| GREASEBALL: | Und wenn du glaubst, du bist noch schneller als ich, |
| Dann zeigt mein Rücklicht dir: du bist es nicht! | |
| ALL: | Ich mach' mit und keiner kann mich bremsen - heut' Nacht! |
| Rolling Stock, der Rolling Stock | |
| Rolling Stock, der Rolling Stock | |
| (instrumental break) | |
| ALL: | Kommt macht euch auf die Räder für den Start, |
| Weil der Moment des großen Rennens naht, | |
| Ich mach' mit und keiner kann mich bremsen - heut' Nacht! | |
| Rolling Stock, der Rolling Stock | |
| Rolling Stock, der Rolling Stock | |
| Rolling Stock, der Rolling Stock - HUH! |
2018 Bochum Lyrics + Translation[]
| ALL: | Ich bin der Schnellste, den es jemals gab, | I‘m the fastest who’s ever existed |
| Denn wie der Blitz fahr' ich bergauf, bergab, | Cause like lightning, I go uphill, downhill | |
| Ich mach' mit und keiner kann mich bremsen - heut' Nacht! | I take part and nobody can slow me down - tonight! | |
| Rolling Stock, Rolling Stock | Rolling Stock, Rolling Stock | |
| GREASEBALL: | Und wer nicht rollt, erlebt nie das Gefühl. | And who doesn’t roll won’t experience the feeling |
| ALL: | Rolling Stock, Rolling Stock | Rolling Stock, Rolling Stock |
| GREASEBALL: | Und in der Liebe kommt er nie ans Ziel. | And he’ll never reach his destination of love |
| Und wenn du glaubst, du bist noch schneller als ich, | And if you think you’re faster than me | |
| Dann zeigt mein Rücklicht dir: du bist es nicht! | Then my rear light shows you: it’s not you! | |
| ALL: | Ich mach' mit und keiner kann mich bremsen - heut' Nacht! | I take part and nobody can slow me down - tonight! |
| Rolling Stock, der Rolling Stock | Rolling Stock, the Rolling Stock | |
| Rolling Stock, der Rolling Stock | Rolling Stock, the Rolling Stock | |
| (instrumental break) | ||
| ALL: | Kommt macht euch auf die Räder für den Start, | Now get on the wheels for the start |
| Weil der Moment des großen Rennens naht, | Cause the moment of the big race is approaching | |
| Ich mach' mit und keiner kann mich bremsen - heut' Nacht! | I take part and nobody can slow me down tonight | |
| Rolling Stock, der Rolling Stock | Rolling Stock, the Rolling Stock | |
| Rolling Stock, der Rolling Stock | Rolling Stock, the Rolling Stock | |
| Rolling Stock, der Rolling Stock - HUH! | Rolling Stock, the Rolling Stock - HUH! |
