The lyrics talk about a dead girl's body by a railroad track, waiting for a train that will never come as Jimmy, her lover, left town. She wrote down her feelings for him and burned the paper, clinging to the hope that Jimmy loves her the most.

Meaning of "Wrote It Down And Burned It" by John Hiatt

The lyrics of "Wrote It Down And Burned It" by John Hiatt paint a picture of unrequited love and heartbreak. The dead girl by the railroad track symbolizes the tragic end of her love story with Jimmy, who has abandoned her. By writing down her love for him and burning the paper, she is trying to let go of her feelings but unable to completely erase them. The repeated lines "She wrote it down and burned it" emphasize her futile attempts to move on from Jimmy, knowing that he didn't love her as much as she loved him. The references to trains and railroads evoke a sense of longing and waiting that will never be fulfilled. Overall, the song conveys the pain of unreciprocated love and the struggle to let go of someone who doesn't feel the same way.