So I was trying to translate this song (full lyrics: 反芻の印象) and I came across this phrase that I believe has omitted words:
特急列車は相も変わらず閑古鳥
"The limited express is, as usual, a cuckoo", would be my literal translation. As this doesn't make any sense, I would think that 閑古鳥 is just a shortened form of the idiom 閑古鳥が鳴く ("business is slow/ (a store is) empty", is basically how my dictionary gives it), so I would think that "The limited express is, as usual, empty," would be the translation. Is that correct? I was unsure about the omitted words.
However, the next line of the song is
星座の光 線路の隙間に茂る雑草
(Under the light of the constellations, the spaces between the railroad tracks grow thick with weeds) and I would think it is possible that 閑古鳥 goes with 星座の光, though it does seem to be in a different phrase. Still, I thought this could be a possibly, since the omitted words bother me. Thank you for your help!