Train Songs 1

Blue Side Of The Track (Larry W. Jones 10/30/2006) (song#4108)

This old town seems empty and cold
Even the sky has turned to black
All my dreams have been put on hold
My baby’s on a new found track

Every railroad track has two directions
Now, one goes forward, one goes back
She’s on that new disappearin’ section
And I’m walkin’ the blue side of the track

Yeah, I’m walkin’ the blue side of the track
Still tryin’ to figure out what went wrong
Somethin’ tells me I’ll never get her back
When she left, she said I couldn’t come along

Yeah, I’m walkin’ the blue side of the track
Somethin’ tells me I’ll never get her back

That girl was the center of my world
But now my world is filled with pain
My heart on her little finger was twirled
But she didn’t linger for that outbound train

Every railroad track has two directions
Now, one goes forward, one goes back
She’s on that new disappearin’ section
And I’m walkin’ the blue side of the track
I’m walkin’ the blue side of the track

Midnight Zephyr (Larry W. Jones 11/05/2007) (song#4120)

Woo woo, Midnight Zephyr
Keep your big ‘ol wheels rollin’ down the track
Woo woo, Midnight Zephyr
The way I feel, my goal ain’t to be comin’ back

I’ve got a mind to pack and go
Like a forty mule Borax team
I wanna find your stack aglow
Pourin’ out smoke and steam
She ran away with another man
But I ain’t beggin’ on my knees
I’m rollin’ away fast as I can
On that Midnight Zephyr breeze

Woo woo, Midnight Zephyr
Keep your big ‘ol wheels rollin’ down the track
Woo woo, Midnight Zephyr
The way I feel, my goal ain’t to be comin’ back

I’ll be on my way down to Santa Fe
With a whistle stop in San Antone
Don’t look for me neither night or day
When that last trestle finds me gone
She’ll be sorry for not doin’ me right
On a starry night I’ll be on her mind
Like a bird in flight I’ll be out of sight
Listnin’ to that Midnight Zephyr whine

Woo woo, Midnight Zephyr
Keep your big ‘ol wheels rollin’ down the track
Woo woo, Midnight Zephyr
The way I feel, my goal ain’t to be comin’ back
Woo woo, Midnight Zephyr
Woo woo, Midnight Zephyr
Woo woo, Midnight Zephyr

Old Red Caboose (Larry W. Jones 11/30/2006) (song#4194)

He was feeble of leg and of limb
Glasses told his sight was dim
He put his pocket watch away
After forty years of railroad use
And he thought about the days
Spent in the old red caboose

Yes, he was feeble of leg and of limb
And glasses told his sight was dim
He could barely see the signal’s glow
Though he could hear the whistle’s blow
He knew there was no more excuse
For ridin’ in the old red caboose

Every day younger men would show
And he knew it was time for him to go
He knew they’d be tested by the rain
And when the train plowed the snow
But it was time for him to turn it loose
And say goodbye to the old red caboose

He put his pocket watch away
After forty years of railroad use
And he thought about the days
Spent in the old red caboose
And he thought about the days
Spent in the old red caboose

For Old Trains (Larry W. Jones 11/30/2006) (song#4199)

Me and my brothers, when we were boys
Didn’t bring our mother too much joy
When we’d sneak off to watch the trains rolling by
I remember that lonesome whistle sound
That our mother heard for miles around
We’d wave and the conductor would wave goodbye

Now those old trains don’t run like they used to
There came hard times in railroad land
Everybody was poor, couldn’t lend a hand
Shiny new locomotives go flying by
For old trains I hang my head and sigh

On the banks of the San Jacinto we would stand
Three boys with fishin’ poles in our hands
We’d marvel at the smoke so black
Coming from that old trains’ smokin’ stack
For old trains I still dream at night

When an old locomotive whistle whined
It would call us down to the river to play
Now they’re still in these dreams of mine
Dreams that seem will never drift away

Now, I was born in Texarkana
In the middle of a cotton patch
Yeah, I was born in Texarkana
Not far from the railroad track

I picked cotton in the heat of day
Heard the train’s whistle at night
I picked cotton in the heat of day
Thought of disappearin’ from sight

That old train’s load of new cotton
Disappeared down the track from view
I rode some dreams I’ve forgotten
With the cotton pickin’ railroad blues

Now, my Daddy was a cotton picker
My Mama was a hard working soul
Now, what can I say about my sister
Except that Texarkana took its toll

When I think about pickin’ cotton
I just put on my travellin’ shoes
And on the track of dreams forgotten
Sing the cotton pickin’ railroad blues

That old train’s load of new cotton
Disappeared down the track from view
I rode some dreams I’ve forgotten
With the cotton pickin’ railroad blues

When I think about pickin’ cotton
I just put on my travellin’ shoes
And on the track of dreams forgotten
Sing the cotton pickin’ railroad blues

Freight Train From Texas (Larry W. Jones 01/09/2007) (song#4305)

When I was just a kid, I did what most kids did
Or at least those who lived along the tracks
When school was out, in Summer I found out
What the magic of freight trains was all about
Two cold rails of steel
A thousand hot freight train wheels
That sound sent my wild dreams down the track
And those dreams were bound to never come back

Freight train from Texas, freight train from Texas
Dreams never to return, turn, turn, never to return

When I heard that freight train whistle roar
It sounded like an outbound musical score
Mama couldn’t keep me from chasing that freight train lore
Every night when I went to sleep
My dreams were freight train deep
And before too long, I was singin’ that freight train song

Freight train from Texas, freight train from Texas
Dreams never to return, turn, turn, never to return

I hopped on an outward bound, to see what could be found
There were dreams I had to catch in that freight train sound
I’ve heard it said of trains, somehow they mesmerize brains
Every time a freight train rolled through
I found out I was one of those fools too
That world of mine would never be the same

Freight train from Texas, freight train from Texas
Dreams never to return, turn, turn, never to return
Dreams never to return, turn, turn, never to return
Freight train dreams never to return

Train To El Paso (Larry W. Jones 01/26/2007) (song#4355)

I’m boarding the train to El Paso
Got my ticket right here in my hand
I’m boarding the train to El Paso
Gonna find me some west Texas sand

I left that girl back in Dallas
You know, she treated this poor cowboy bad
Never seen a girl so callous
Now read this El Paso paper employment ad

I’m boarding the train to El Paso
Where it don’t hardly ever rain, I am told
I’m boarding the train to El Paso
Gonna find myself a true love I can hold

Thank goodness Texas is as wide as it is
A cowboy can find a place to hide that is his
I’ve died inside cause love’s gone amiss
I’m boarding the train to El Paso without a kiss

– instrumental –

I’m boarding the train to El Paso
Got my ticket right here in my hand
I’m boarding the train to El Paso
Gonna find me some west Texas sand

I’m boarding the train to El Paso
Gonna find me some west Texas sand

Train To Amarillo (Larry W. Jones 01/26/2007) (song#4359)

Is this the train to Amarillo, I heard somebody say
And it was plain I’d heard that voice before
I was so surprised when she looked into my eyes
But before I could reply, she turned and stepped away
I was standing in the rain as I called out her name
Then she turned back to me and I heard her cries

The dining car waiter poured our past
Up to the brim of the tall wine glass
And we talked over times we both held dear
The Great Plains train whistle blew
As through the Texas night we flew
Knowing that Amarillo would soon be near

Amarillo summer nights when we were young
Were now igniting old memories one by one
We were two older dreamers, it was plain
On a midnight screamer, the Amarillo train
We were two older dreamers, it was plain
On a midnight screamer, the Amarillo train

When we got to the station, I kissed her goodbye
She had to go on to Santa Fe
How in all creation did I lose her to another guy
I still wonder to this very day

– instrumental –

An Old Hobo Again (Larry W. Jones 02/02/2007) (song#4371)

I listen to the rumble and the lonesome whistle blow
Of another old freight train as it rolls on by so slow
I listen to the clatter and the chatter of the wheels
Only an old hobo like me could ever know how it feels

Hear the freight train whistle blow
Hear the freight train whistle blow
Hear those wheels go clickety clack
As it rumbles slowly down the track

I know there’s an old hobo
Grumbling on his way back
From wherever he’s been down the track
When I hear that freight train whistle blow
And I hear those wheels go clickety clack
I’m an old hobo again who knows he can’t go back

When night time comes, I listen
Even if the time is getting late
I listen for the train of dreams
That old slow moving freight
And when I hear that lonesome sound
That only comes from an outward bound
I become an old hobo again
Hopping that old slow freight train

Rollin’ Down That Railroad Track (Larry W. Jones 02/04/2007) (song#4385)

See that locomotive comin’ with a flaming stack
Eight big wheels a-rollin’ down the track
I wonder if he’ll ever be a-comin’ back
From rollin’ and a-rollin’ down that railroad track

I wonder how that ‘ol locomotive engineer feels
With his hand on the throttle burnin’ up the steel
Don’t you know he wouldn’t trade for a Cadillac
Keeping that locomotive a-rollin’ down the track

Twenty flat cars and forty nine box cars too
Enough to make a hobo’s teeth shake a-loose
That locomotive’s loaded but he’s got the juice
Rollin’ down that track like a flyin’ goose

– train whistle and harmonica –

One of these days I’m gonna pack my sack
Hop aboard a freight goin’ clickety-clack
I wonder if I’ll ever be a-comin’ back
From rollin’ and a-rollin’ down that railroad track
Rollin’ and a-rollin’ down that railroad track
Rollin’ and a-rollin’ down that railroad track
Rollin’ and a-rollin’ down… [outbound whistle]

Down The Heartbreak Line (Larry W. Jones 03/30/2007) (song#4550)

Bright light shinin’ down a railroad track
Night train whinin’ with a flaming stack
Listen to the whistle leavin’ me behind
Takin’ my baby down the Heartbreak Line
Choo choo rollin’ down the Heartbreak Line

Well, I thought my baby’s love was true
Now she’s gone with somebody I never knew
Down The Heartbreak Line
I wouldn’t buy a ticket even if I could
I’m singin’ like a cricket on old dead wood
About that uptown baby of mine
Down The Heartbreak Line
Choo choo rollin’ down the Heartbreak Line

– instrumental –

I wouldn’t buy a ticket even if I could
I’m singin’ like a cricket on old dead wood
About that uptown baby of mine
Down The Heartbreak Line
Choo choo rollin’ down the Heartbreak Line

Choo choo, choo choo
Down The Heartbreak Line
I wouldn’t buy a ticket even if I could
I’m singin’ like a cricket on old dead wood
About that uptown baby of mine
Down The Heartbreak Line
Choo choo rollin’ down the Heartbreak Line

Midnight Flier (Larry W. Jones 04/09/2007) (song#4571)

Your love is now a lying thing
Heartaches are all it brings
A truer love’s what I require
I’m gonna roll, roll, roll on the midnight flier

I’m leavin’ town on the midnight flier
I’m gonna roll, roll, roll
Away from this mire
So, shovel that coal, coal, coal
To the midnight flier, the midnight flier

– instrumental –

Your love that once was sweet
Now lies in shame at your feet
I’m not to blame for this, dear
And you can claim my every tear

I’m leavin’ town on the midnight flier
I’m gonna roll, roll, roll
Away from this mire
So, shovel that coal, coal, coal
To the midnight flier, the midnight flier
So, shovel that coal, coal, coal
To the midnight flier, the midnight flier

New Time Zone (Larry W. Jones 03/07/2007) (song#4501)

I saw a big eight wheeler comin’ down the track
With the whistle blowin’ and a flamin’ stack
And it was travelin’ on, to a new time zone
That was all I had to see, and it called to me
My new home, you see, is a hundred box cars long
And I’m travelin’ on, to some new time zone

Now, that woman of mine and I were doin’ fine
But she got to drinkin’ a little too much wine
And talkin’ on the phone, until the early dawn
I didn’t know it then, but it was not her kin
She done her daddy wrong, and I’m now long gone
I’m in my new home, a hundred box cars long

I asked the engineer nice, blow the whistle twice
So she can hear it moan, as I’m travelin’ on
Now, all you guys at home who’s payin’ the price
For a two timin’ woman who’s love is cold as ice
Better take my advice and treat the engineer nice
In your new found home, a hundred box cars long

I gave no regard stoppin’ at the switchin’ yard
I’m through with bein’ hitched, my heart is scarred
And I’m travelin’ on, to some new time zone
I hopped a big eight wheeler comin’ down the track
With the whistle blowin’ and a flamin’ stack
Now I’m a-travelin’ on, to a new time zone
Travelin’ on, to a new time zone
Travelin’ on, to a new time zone
Travelin’ on…

Ghost Train (Larry W. Jones 04/26/2007) (song#4613)

The old train was standing on the side track
Four hobos climbin’ in the boxcar at the back
I decided to take a look in the old car up front
That’s when I heard the whistle and the bump

Ghost train, ghost train we ride
Ghost train, ghost train we ride
Ghost train, ghost train we ride
Me and four hobos ridin’ to the twilight zone tonight

Ghost train went clickity clack, clickity clack and bump
As it rattled on down the tracks with a thumpity thump
Then it went through a tunnel so dark a cat couldn’t see
Hobos were screamin’, scared my ‘ol heart right out of me

Ghost train, ghost train we ride
Ghost train, ghost train we ride
Ghost train, ghost train we ride
Me and four hobos ridin’ to the twilight zone tonight

Said to myself, sonny this train ride’s the end of you
Now it ain’t so funny when a sane man goes crazy too
I can’t understand it all or just how I got back here
It must have been a dream down a train track of fear

Ghost train, ghost train we ride
Ghost train, ghost train we ride
Ghost train, ghost train we ride
Me and four hobos ridin’ to the twilight zone tonight

Riding The Rails Of The Outward Bound (Larry W. Jones 05/10/2007) (song#4639)

Looking out this open boxcar door
At the cold heavy falling snows
Around the midnight train it blows
And on the tattered plywood floor
Thinking of the crackle of a hobo’s fire
Is just another thing to get me down
Wondering why I’m on this midnight flyer
Riding the rails of the outward bound

Another blue monday, another new town
There’s not a lot for lonely hobos to do
I’ve seen faces staring at the ground
But the only one I’m caring about is you
I read all of last week’s funny papers
One had teardrops falling off a clown
Funny how folks laugh at hobo’s capers
Riding the rails of the outward bound

– instrumental –

Another blue monday, another new town
There’s not a lot for lonely hobos to do
I’ve seen faces staring at the ground
But the only one I’m caring about is you

I listen for footsteps of the railroad bull
Hoping I don’t see him at my boxcar door
And if this coat had a little bit more wool
Maybe I could feel as warm as I was before
And the winter this year is sure to last
I’m headin’ south where the sun is found
On down the tracks far away from my past
Riding the rails of the outward bound

I’m A Hobo (Larry W. Jones 05/17/2007) (song#4650)

Well, I was asked, how come I don’t work like real men do
Now, how can I be at work and be a hobo too
Freight train’s a-comin’ and the sky is blue
I’m gonna be a hobo ’til my life is through

Where the four winds blow, I’m a hobo
Where the four winds blow, that’s where I’ve been
Where the four winds blow, I’m a hobo
On any old feight train comin’ ’round the bend

Well, I was asked, what do I do with the money I earn
Now, if I ever had money, it was money to burn
I used to have a job with a good return
But now I’m just a hobo with no concern

Where the four winds blow, I’m a hobo
Where the four winds blow, that’s where I’ve been
Where the four winds blow, I’m a hobo
On any old feight train comin’ ’round the bend

When the summer time comes, I’ll be headin’ north
When the winter time comes, I’ll be headin’ south
When it’s spring time or autumn, it’s east or west
Any place is best as long as I can stuff my mouth

Where the four winds blow, I’m a hobo
Where the four winds blow, that’s where I’ve been
Where the four winds blow, I’m a hobo
On any old feight train comin’ ’round the bend

Girl In High Heeled Slippers (Larry W. Jones 05/20/2007) (song#4666)

Now, come all you rounders and you will hear
Of Janie Jones, wife of a locomotive engineer
Janie Jones was Casey’s wife, she was the wife of a railroad man
John Luther Jones rode the Illinois Central to the promised land

Janie knew Casey Jones loved a locomotive
But she didn’t know Casey would make history
Janie saw Casey climb aboard a locomotive
Called the New Orleans Special on the old I.C.

Janie’s husband pulled into Memphis on train Number Four
Old Sam Tate was scheduled down to Canton but Sam was ill
When Illinois Central asked for a volunteer, Casey said, I will
If I can have Simon Webb, my fireman true, and engine number 382

Engine 382 was a Rogers Ten Wheeler, six drivers strong
A powerful locomotive and fast for the likes of Casey Jones
The big wheels were six feet high, made for railroad zippers
Casey Jones called her The Old Girl In High Heeled Slippers

Janie Jones saw Casey mounted in the cabin
Janie Jones saw Casey with orders in his hand
Janie Jones saw Casey mounted in the cabin
On his farewell journey to the promised land

Casey pulled out of Memphis nearly two hours late
Soon he had train Number One at a breakneck rate
Janie thought she could hear the new train whistle moan
And she knew the engineer was her man, Casey Jones

Casey yelled to Simon through the night time wind
Simon, open up the boiler door and heave the coal in
Simon Webb gave the coal shovel everything he had
Anything to make Canton on time for a railroad lad

Water in Sardis and Grenada in the early morn
It was April 30, 1900 near the town of Vaughn
Train Number One was now only two minutes late
Seventy miles an hour, Casey didn’t see the freight

Train Number Eighty Three was still on the main line
Casey yelled, jump Simon, while you still have time
At 3:52 in the morning with the throttle in his hand
Janie never knew her husband went to the promised land

Janie Jones with three children were left to mourn
Her husband, Casey lost his life on that April morn
Now only God knows if he will see divine grace
All we know is no one will ever take Casey’s place

Janie Jones said he died at the throttle
Janie Jones was the wife of a railroad man
Janie Jones said he died at the throttle
Casey Jones rode the girl in high heeled slippers
To the promised land

Iron Horse Rolling On (Larry W. Jones 06/01/20070 (song#4693)

Down along the river valleys
Up across the Great Divide
All would hear the rolling thunder
That would not be denied

White smoke along rails of steel
Flaming stack and rolling wheels
Heading toward the western sea
Writing into the pages of history

Rolling thunder heading west
Treading rails in some new quest
Listen to that whistle moan
Iron horse rolling on and on
Iron horse rolling on

Rolling over trestles spanning rivers wild
Iron men manning tenders where coal is piled
Listen to that whistle moan
Iron horse rolling on and on
Iron horse rolling on

– instrumental –

White smoke along rails of steel
Flaming stack and rolling wheels
Heading toward the western sea
Writing into the pages of history

Rolling thunder heading west
Treading rails in some new quest
Listen to that whistle moan
Iron horse rolling on and on
Iron horse rolling on

Outbound Train At Noon Blues (Larry W. Jones 06/02/2007) (song#4697)

When I woke up this morning
Skies were cloudy, it was raining too
When I woke up this morning
Skies were cloudy, it was raining too
My good gal, she done told me
She’s leaving on the outbound train at noon

I asked my good gal why she was leaving
Why she was leaving so soon
I asked my good gal why she was leaving
Why she was leaving so soon
My good gal, well she told me
She was tired of grieving and wearing her worn out shoes

When I woke up this morning
My good gal was on a short fuse
When I woke up this morning
My good gal was on a short fuse
Now I’ve got to tell you fellas
I’ve got the outbound train at noon blues

– instrumental –

My good gal, well she told me
She was tired of grieving and wearing her worn out shoes

I tried to reason with my baby
But anything I said was no use
I tried to reason with my baby
But anything I said was no use
My good gal, she done told me
She’s leaving on the outbound train at noon

When I said goodbye this morning
My good gal was on a short fuse
When I said goodbye this morning
My good gal was on a short fuse
Now I’ve got to tell you fellas
I’ve got the outbound train at noon blues

Last Train To San Antone (Larry W. Jones 06/11/2007) (song#4719)

Somewhere there’s a brand new cowboy waiting to be born
In a barn somewhere there’s a sheep waiting to be shorn
One of them is waiting for the daylight of the morn
And one of them is wondering what will keep it warm

I’m waiting at the station and my hair is all wind blown
And big wheels are turning on the last train to San Antone

There’s a DJ on the radio with more sad songs to play
There’s a girl who passed my way and wanted me to stay
I listened to them both and all I have to say
Is play another sad song and I’ll be on my way

– instrumental –

This one way train ticket is the only thing on earth I own
And big wheels are turning on the last train to San Antone

I’m waiting in a line that’s now my destiny
Looking for a sign as to where it’s leading me
The train is headed south, listen to it moan
There’s only one way out, down to San Antone

And big wheels are turning
And big wheels are turning
And big wheels are turning on the last train to San Antone

Osage Route (Larry W. Jones 06/25/2007) (song#4738)

She rolled into sight a mile up the track
Working up steam with her brake shoes slack
Her whistle moaned when at the whistle post
Stopping at the station like a lonesome ghost

Old John heard the roar on the polished steel
Of steam drivers pounding on six big wheels
The flanges made a screech on ribbons of rail
As she rolled along west on the prairie trail

– instrumental –

Old John got ready and he took a chance
He climbed aboard to do the hobo’s dance
He reached up high for the end door pin
Opened up the door and Old John climbed in

Old John didn’t bother with counting sheep
He just crawled on in and went fast asleep
The whistle moaned as she high balled out
With Old John headed west on the Osage Route

Hobos Found Dixie Bound (Larry W. Jones 07/01/2007) (song#4753)

Slow freight train rollin’
Makin’ a drowsy sound
In the boxcars sleepin’
Are hobos Dixie bound

Wobblin’, rockin’, rollin’
Freight train on its way
Hobos found Dixie bound
Down to Mobile Bay

Engineer at the throttle
Conductor in the caboose
Hobos sharin’ a bottle
Tryin’ to take a snooze

Wobblin’, rockin’, rollin’
Freight train on its way
Hobos found Dixie bound
Down to Mobile Bay

No more cold and rain
Past the Mason Dixon line
Hobos goin’ home again
Where Dixie sun will shine

Wobblin’, rockin’, rollin’
Freight train on its way
Hobos found Dixie bound
Down to Mobile Bay

Dixie has the sunshine
No more skies of grey
Hobos on the Dixie line
Sleepin’ in the hay

Wobblin’, rockin’, rollin’
Freight train on its way
Hobos found Dixie bound
Down to Mobile Bay

Thousand Miles To Home (Larry W. Jones 08/04/2007) (song#4797)

Well, here I am walking along the track
Thinking of writing another letter home
To tell my folks that I’ll be coming back
Cause I’ve run out of places I want to roam

When I hear that home bound train in the night
A ticket to home will ease the pain and the fright
It’s a thousand miles to where I’m goin’
And I know that a thousand smiles will be showin’
When I ride that train a thousand miles home

– instrumental –

I’ll have to pawn my guitar and rings
Because I’ve already pawned my dreams
Gonna go through the third class ticket turnstile
And watch the countryside pass a thousand miles

Well, one thing for sure I know
No more am I gonna roam
I’m gonna live my life poor but slow
In a thousand miles when I get home

I know when I hear that home bound train in the night
A ticket to home will ease the pain and the fright
It’s a long old thousand miles to where I’m goin’
And I know a thousand smiles will be showin’
When I ride that train a thousand miles to home

Roll On Away Coal Train (Larry W. Jones 08/05/2007) (song#4802)

Well, I pound a nine pound hammer
That’s a little too heavy for my size
Yeah, I pound a nine pound hammer
That’s a little too heavy for my size
Wish I could go down in the valley
And be with my baby til sunrise

Roll on away coal train
Roll on away from here
Roll on away coal train
And take away my cares
Take your load of number nine coal
And let me see your big wheels roll
Roll on away coal train
Roll on away from here

Well, it’s a long way from Leavenworth
To home sweet home I’ll never see
This nine pound hammer that strikes the earth
Is gonna be the end of me

– instrumental –

Well, this nine pound hammer that I own
Is gonna take a mighty toll
And you can carve this on my headstone
He died poundin’ that lignite coal

South Bound Freight (Larry W. Jones 08/14/2007) (song#4833)

Well, I’ve been so lonesome for San Antone
And that Lone Star State seems so far away
But now I hear that south bound freight train song
I’ll be ridin’ down to Texas today

I’ve spent by best years gaily ram’blin
And now it’s time to head on back
On top of an old box car am’blin’
Down that old south bound railroad track

South bound freight, south bound freight
Take me down to San Antone and don’t be late
South bound freight, south bound freight
Take be south down to that Lone Star Texas State

– instrumental –

I’ve been like an old stray cat far away from home
It’s been my way of life to roam
But I was born in Texas outside San Antone
South bound freight, let me hear you moan

I see that south bound freight a-rollin’
Blowin’ black smoke from her stack
Down to Texas where I’m a-goiin’
San Antone is somewhere down her track

South bound freight, south bound freight
Take me down to San Antone and don’t be late
South bound freight, south bound freight
Take be south down to that Lone Star Texas State

Blues Are A Good Man Feelin’ Bad (Larry W. Jones 08/27/2007) (song#4883)

Well, I’m hoppin’ a freight train
Headin’ for another town
There’s nothin’ good here to gain
Just sadness hangin’ around

Oh, now the blues, they ain’t nothin’
That many a good man ain’t had
Hobos told me about hurtin’
Blues are a good man feelin’ bad

I never asked that woman for a favor
I can’t believe how she put me down
Being a hobo might be a life saver
I’m takin’ this freight train out of town

– instrumental –

I never asked that woman for a favor
I can’t believe how she put me down
Being a hobo might be a life saver
I’m takin’ this freight train out of town

I’m gonna ride this old B & O
Up that old Chicago railroad track
I’m feelin’ so put down and put low
That I just might never set foot back

Oh, now the blues, they ain’t nothin’
That many a good man ain’t had
Hobos told me about hurtin’
Blues are a good man feelin’ bad

Oh yeah, hobos told me about hurtin’
Blues are just a good man feelin’ so bad

Loco Locomotive Man (Larry W. Jones 09/01/2007) (song#4899)

Coal black smoke was pouring from the stack
Six wheel drivers made the engine moan
The locomotive was racing down the track
Shaking everybody down to the bone
The train was rocking as away it ran
All of the passengers could only groan
On a train driven fast by a loco locomotive man

This passenger train is gonna roll as fast as it can
The laughing engineer said as he pushed the throttle home
All thought the end was near with a loco locomotive man
At the throttle singing his loco locomotive song

– instrumental –

All thought the end was near with a loco locomotive man
At the throttle singing his loco locomotive song

Then over the top of the coal car climbed old Hobo Dan
He had been riding the rails since railroads began
Hobo Dan said, I’ve been riding the rails without a plan
But never with a loco locomotive man
To the cab he made his way and fought with the engineer
Old Dan saved the day as he eased the throttle down
On his knees was this advice, as he knew his end was near
All you passengers, listen and give me your ear
Never ride with a loco locomotive man

Never ride with a loco locomotive man

Pocono Locomotive (Larry W. Jones 09/08/2007) (song#4925)

I met a restless heart in Pennsylvania
I thought that sweet girl was gonna be mine
I might as well have been in Romania
That old locomotive left me behind

It was the Pocono Locomotive
She boarded and I still don’t know her motive
As she looked at me out the window pane
She saw I was crying standing in the rain
It was the Pocono Locomotive
She left and won’t be coming back again, on
That old locomotive that she boarded
The Pocono Locomotive midnight train

I heard eight big wheels rumble
Pulling cars on past the hobo jungle
I sure wish she’d come on back
Down that Pocono Locomotive track
I would stand out in the rain
For that old Pennsylvania midnight train

– instrumental –

Why that girl up and left me
Never will be known
She hit the track, won’t be back
Now I’m on my own

Texas Midnight Zephyr (Larry W. Jones 09/21/2007) (song#4987)

Well, look ’round the bend a-rollin’
Rollin’ on down that railroad track
Yeah, look ’round the bend a-rollin’
Rollin’ on down that railroad track
That night train is called the Texas Midnight Zephyr
Rockin’ my blue eyed darlin’ back

Well, she’s been down to Florida
Getting some warm sand in her shoes
I’ve been waiting in hot Texas
Feeling these cold and lonesome blues
She’s rollin’ in on that Texas Midnight Zephyr
Now these old blues I’m gonna lose

– instrumental –

Hey Joe, look around the bend a-rollin’
That Texas Midnight Zephyr’s on the line
Well Joe, my poor heart it’ll be consolin’
Look at her big ol’ Texas headlight shine
That night train is called the Texas Midnight Zephyr
Rollin’ my darlin’ on the midnight line

Canadian Pacific (Larry W. Jones 09/22/2007) (song#5000)

From east to west, coast to coast, night and day
See the rollin’ of big wheels on their way
Diesel hummin’ to the engineer’s command
The Canadian Pacific is rolling across the land

She’s the pride of Canada as she flies
From Montreal across the Great Divide
By Lake Louise and through great deserts dry
Watch as the Canadian Pacific goes rollin’ by

The Canadian Pacific goes rollin’ down the track
Five thousand miles she rolls out to the coast and back
Five thousand miles to roll, five thousand miles to go
Five thousand miles she rolls out to the coast and back

– instrumental –

Beside the line, a cowboy, in a battered Stetson hat
Farther along, a housewife, hangs clothes on a line out back
They both pause to see a special train as she fairly flies
Watch as the Canadian Pacific goes rollin’ by

Hear her whistle blowin’ neath Canadian stars at night
Saluting all who crosses and for those who built the track
Remember all the coolies and others who spent their prime
So the Canadian gets to the Pacific on time

Watch as the Canadian Pacific goes rollin’ by

Rock Island Line (Larry W. Jones 10/19/2007) (song#5092)

Well, the Rock Island Line was a mighty fine line
Yeah, the Rock Island Line was the railroad to ride
But now the old Rock Island Line has seen it’s time
You can’t buy a ticket on the Rock Island Line

The hobos all cried when they lost their ride
They lost their ride when the Rock Island died

Heard lots of shoutin’ from the stevedores
When the old Rock Island Line closed its doors

Now, I might be wrong or I might be right
I thought I dreamed of that Rock Island light

Yeah, the Rock Island Line was the railroad to ride
But now the old Rock Island Line has seen it’s time
You can’t buy a ticket on the Rock Island Line

Texas Cannonball (Larry W. Jones 10/24/2007) (song#5107)

I’m a-rollin’ back to Texas
It’s the big Lone Star State for me
Where pecan trees grow and the oil wells flow
Texas is home sweet home to me
Good folks there will meet you and then greet you
With a great big loud Howdy Y’all
I say I’m blessed cause I’m a-rollin’ west
On the fast Texas Cannonball

On the Texas Cannonball, Texas Cannonball
Just listen as the whistle calls out Howdy Y’all
I know there’s a cowgirl waitin’
And she’s the fairest of them all
I say I’m blessed cause I’m a-rollin’ west
On the fast Texas Cannonball

– instrumental –

Now, when I cross that old Sabine
I’ll see miles and miles of Texas
It’s the best state I’ve ever seen
Just put my name where the X is

Transcontinental Railway (Larry W. Jones 10/31/2007) (song#5124)

I’m takin’ the transcontinental railway
To get my mind in repose
I’m takin’ the transcontinental railway
Gotta find where love still grows

I’ve packed my overnighter
Got my ticket in my hand
Nothing could be more righter
Than takin’ a train so grand

Eleven, departing the station this morning
Yearning, my heart will no longer be in mourning
Seven, I’m arriving at seven tomorrow
Seems like heaven, I’ll no longer be in sorrow

– instrumental –

Oh, I don’t know why I ever went astray
From my dear loving homestead shack
I’m takin’ the transcontinental railway
Transcontinental railway back

Happy Sound Of The Homeward Bound (Larry W. Jones 02/20/2008) (song#5301)

Well, I’ve been up north where the snow falls down
And the sun, it don’t hardly ever shine
So, I’m ridin’ the rails now, homeward bound
Down to Dixieland for to ease my mind
Down to Dixieland for to ease my mind

Some folks are bad but most are good
Most everywhere that this old train track goes
I belong where it’s understood
That love grows stronger than a river flows

Like the Mississippi runs from the melting snow
Dixieland sons know where their home is found
They’re the ones who run away from the cold and woe
With the happy sound of the homeward bound
With the happy sound of the homeward bound

– instrumental –

Well, the happy sound of the homeward bound
Is the click and the clack of railroad steel
Not a happier man could there be found
None could feel better than the way I feel
None could feel better than the way I feel

Son Of A Railroad Man (Larry W. Jones 02/29/2008) (song#5319)

Well, I’m the son of a railroad man
Son of a railroad man
I’ve ridden rails all across this land
Yeah, I’m the son of a railroad man

Well, my Daddy was a railroad man
Folks knew him from far away
He could be gentle or tough as nails
Yeah, my Daddy was a railroad man
Along mountains, plains and bay
And his tales were as long as the rails

Well, I’m the son of a railroad man
Son of a railroad man
I’ve ridden rails all across this land
Yeah, I’m the son of a railroad man

– instrumental –

Now, I was born by the great divide
Where the mountains reached the sky
The railroad could never be denied
So I learned railroading from my Dad
Only way of life I had
I’ll be railroading until I die

Well, I’m the son of a railroad man
Son of a railroad man
I’ve ridden rails all across this land
Yeah, I’m the son of a railroad man

The Happiness Train (Larry W. Jones 04/01/2008) (song#5359)

Come on, it’s time to board
The happiness train

Sometimes this world will let you down
And you don’t feel like you can win
Well brother, don’t you wear a frown
Just get back on your feet again

Behind clouds you’ll find the sunshine
A silver line comes with the rain
Come on, get on this train of mine
All aboard the happiness train

Tunnels look so dark, it is true
Like days when you can’t find a friend
Come aboard, we’re waiting for you
Happiness is just ’round the bend

– instrumental –

Everyone needs an easy mind
And someplace out of the cold rain
Just listen to that happy whine
Of the outbound happiness train

The happiness train crosses all lands
The happiness train spans the whole world
Tickets are free for you and for me
Come on everyone, give it a whirl

Behind clouds you’ll find the sunshine
A silver line comes with the rain
Come on, get on this train of mine
All aboard the happiness train

The happiness train
The happiness train
The happiness train

Freight Train Racing Down A Hill (Larry W. Jones 04/11/2008) (song#5374)

Every evening at half past eight
Jake the bartender does his drill
Hey buddy, you don’t look so great
I move to a corner table to concentrate
A freight train racing down a hill

Tried one day to figure it out
I quit my job, a dead end route
To be a slob without a doubt
This life has robbed me of love’s thrill
A freight train racing down a hill

Second to second, minute to minute
And every hour that goes by
That freight train I hear beckon
With loads of pain, I reckon
I don’t stop to wonder why

Here I am when the sun goes down
Having my fun and drinking Crown
Thinking of her, nowhere around
A freight train racing down a hill

– instrumental –

Tried one day to figure it out
I quit my job, a dead end route
To be a slob without a doubt
This life has robbed me of love’s thrill
A freight train racing down a hill

Here I am when the sun goes down
Having my fun and drinking Crown
Thinking of her, nowhere around
A freight train racing down a hill

Freight train racing
Freight train racing
A freight train racing down a hill

That Lonesome Whistle Blowin’ (Larry W. Jones 04/27/2008) (song#5403)

I saw that train a-rollin’ down the line
A-strainin’ from the load but rollin’ fine
And when I heard that lonesome whistle blow
I knew that it was time for me to go
That lonesome whistle blowin’ blows my mind

My darlin’ is as sweet as sugar cane
I broke my darlin’s heart, which was insane
When I hear that whistle blow, it brings pain
I was wrong, I know, that was so unkind
That lonesome whistle blowin’ blows my mind

Railroad bull caught me farther down the rail
I’m pulling time here in this lonesome jail
He told me in a month that I’d be fine
It’s so dark in here, think I’m goin’ blind
That lonesome whistle blowin’ blows my mind

– instrumental –

This is such a shame, I know I’m to blame
They’ve given me a number for a name
Well, I sure do miss that sweet gal of mine
A-way down on that Mason Dixon line
That lonesome whistle blowin’ blows my mind

Gotta Drive That Train (Larry W. Jones 05/11/2008) (song#5421)

Now, life’s too short for yesterdays
The sort of thing with no delays

If life’s ride is the bumpy kind
Just slide up front and you may find
Maybe while you were looking back
Your life has jumped right off the track

Now, it’s alright to remember
For that’s just part of history
But up front’s where it’s happening
Up where there’s so much mystery

The real enjoyment of living
Well, it’s not back where we have been
Just look forward with thanksgiving
To another new year, or ten

Life is searching all the byways
Never should you ever refrain
Because if you want to live life
You have all GOTTA DRIVE THAT TRAIN

Now, some folks ride the train of life
But always looking out the rear
Just watching miles of life roll by
Silently marking off the years

They just sit in sad rememberance
Of wasted days and nights gone by
Then they curse life for what it was
And hang their mournful head and cry

I don’t concern myself with that
Cause I took a different vent
I look forward to what life holds
And not backward to what I’ve spent

So now, strap me to the engine
Make it as secure as can be
Cause I want to be out in front
To see all life that I can see

I want to feel the winds of change
When it’s blowing right in my face
See the wheels of life rearrange
Zeal for life, going place to place
I want to see what life can cast
Cause I’m not looking at the past

A Thousand Miles Of Track Behind (Larry W. Jones 05/13/2008) (song#5425)

On this old freight line, a hobo
A thousand miles of track behind
Don’t know how many more I’ll go
Don’t know when I ate the last time

Keep wondering why she left me
How could hate come from love sublime
At one time she was my baby
A thousand miles of track behind

A thousand miles behind, I felt bad
When I found out she was that kind
She was the only love I had
Oh, how could I have been so blind

– instrumental –

Never before was I this way
Never a worry on my mind
I keep thinking back with dismay
A thousand miles of track behind

Oh, I still love that woman so
And she is still so intertwined
In my mem’ry that’s full of woe
A thousand miles of track behind

She has all those good lookin’ charms
Too bad she was the roving kind
Back there I held her in my arms
A thousand miles of track behind

Oh, I still love that woman so
A thousand miles of track behind

Wreckage Along The Railroad (Larry W. Jones 06/05/2008) (song#5477)

I’m just wreckage along the railroad, trash along the tracks
It don’t matter where this old railroad ends
I’ll just keep on riding because there ain’t no turning back
Though I never know what’s around the bend

I’ve met a lot of hobos just as much a wreck as I
Shared a pot of soup and a drink or two
I always tell them, I’ll see you soon, instead of goodbye
Then hop the next freight coming into view

I’ve rolled through many towns, big and small, but I’ve never stayed
I’ve looked at all the places far from home
Oh, please don’t pity me for this wrecked railroad masquerade
I’ll take a rain check on the dreams I’ve known

– instrumental –

I’m just wreckage along the railroad, on the same old tracks
I’ll ride these old rails til she’s forgotten me
I don’t need much money and what I own is on my back
I’ve still got miles to go and lots to see

My poor heart’s been wounded by an old love I couldn’t win
Played my cards for a queen and lost the bet
I’ll have to hide my tears and try to take it on the chin
I’m just wreckage along the railroad of regret

Wreck Of The Fireball Mail (Larry W. Jones 06/12/2008) (song#5486)

One cold and rainy night, not a beam of moonlight
The wind was blowing freezing rain straight down the rails
The engineer was brave, gave his sweetheart a wave
And climbed into the cabin of the Fireball Mail

His sweetheart said, so long, the throttle sounded strong
Nothing could go wrong with the Fireball Mail that night
Though tonight apart, he had a song in his heart
Tomorrow she would be his darling wedded wife

Iron wheels made a clack as the train rolled down the track
And the stack was glowing red as the black coal burned
There was no sense of dread as the light shined ahead
For his darling, the heart of the engineer yearned

– instrumental –

When he went around the curve, then froze every nerve
For he observed a strange light speeding on the rails
He saw the bad mistake as he pulled on air brakes
Tonight was his final ride on the Fireball Mail

Doubtful that he’d survive, they found him half alive
Along the track in the wreck of the Fireball Mail
He asked them to send a message to all his kin
And to his darling waiting with her wedding veil

There’s a small cottage new, I bought for me and you
I furnished it for you with love in great detail
Darling, now it’s yours alone, for soon I’ll be gone
Remember me and the wreck of the Fireball Mail

Everyone Loves A Train Song (Larry W. Jones 06/27/2008) (song#5501)

I heard the train a-coming on a Georgia night
Cold rain was falling in the locomotive light
She was waiting in the rain, waiting for the train

She was an outbound woman
Leaving on the outbound train was her scheme
Left me standing in the rain
Searching in vain, the reason for her dream

Everyone loves a train song
Cause everyone’s heard the sound of the outward bound
Everyone loves a train song
Cause dreams seem to disappear where they can’t be found

Everyone loves a train song
On a rainy night in Georgia, it don’t seem right
Everyone loves a train song
But this old train song is breaking my heart tonight

Play me another train song
Though the feeling don’t seem right
Play me another train song
On this rainy Georgia night

– instrumental –

Everyone loves a train song
Cause everyone’s heard the sound of the outward bound
Everyone loves a train song
Cause dreams seem to disappear where they can’t be found

Everyone loves a train song
On a rainy night in Georgia, it don’t seem right
Everyone loves a train song
But this old train song is breaking my heart tonight

Play me another train song
Though the feeling don’t seem right
Play me another train song
On this rainy Georgia night

Hobos Ditched On The Gila Monster Route (Larry W. Jones 07/07/2008) (song#5536)

The setting sun shone across the plain
Lit the rear door of an east bound train
And gleamed on a rusty track close by
Where hobos sat on a rotten tie

They were ditched by a shack in cruel fate
High-balled by the bull on their last freight
The freight hit the line on a sanded rail
When they pulled on out behind the mail

Their train pulled away in the dark night
All they could see was the red tail light
The moon arose and the stars came out
Hobos ditched on the Gila Monster Route

Not a thing in sight but sand and space
No place for hobos to feed their face
No railyard shack for to rest their legs
No hen house where hobos steal their eggs

As they gazed out in the solitude
Both dropped their heads and began to brood
One spoke of the time he lost his mate
In a hobo jungle o’re a dinner plate

They both looked around and at their feet
A salamander they speared to eat
Hobos deprived of their daily bread
Cleared their dry throats with some Dago Red

Their train pulled away in the dark night
All they could see was the red tail light
The moon arose and the stars came out
Hobos ditched on the Gila Monster Route

Boxcar On The Outbound (Larry W. Jones 07/29/2008) (song#5648)

Beside the train tracks I was born
The wild geese call was so forlorn
When they called to me with their song
Come and go with us your life long
A boxcar on the outbound is my home

It breaks my heart to see you cry
Oh how I hate to say goodbye
I’m sorry for my wayward song
But like the wild geese, I must roam
A boxcar on the outbound is my home

It’s just my way to try and find
Some far off place I’ve never been
And I can’t face the ties that bind
Although our friendship will now end
An outbound train just rolled around the bend

– instrumental –

It breaks my heart to see you cry
Oh how I hate to say goodbye
I’m sorry for my wayward song
But like the wild geese, I must roam
A boxcar on the outbound is my home

The call for love’s inside of me
But lasting love will never be
A train just passed like geese that roam
I’m sorry for my wayward song
A boxcar on the outbound is my home

I’m sorry for my wayward song
A boxcar on the outbound is my home

Here Comes That Midnight Train (Larry W. Jones 08/29/2008) (song#5787)

Hear that lonesome whistle a-wailin’ through the pines
As I lay here on my pillow cryin’
I feel the tears and try to cover up my head
I’m wonderin’ what’s the use in tryin’

Broken heart, here comes that midnight train
Just like the one I know she’s on
Broken dreams, here comes that midnight train
Rollin’ to some far away dawn
How I wish I knew where she’s gone
Here comes that midnight train

I broke both her heart and mine
Now both our hearts are filled with pain
Hear that lonesome whistle whine
Here comes that midnight train

– instrumental –

Broken dreams, here comes that midnight train
Rollin’ to some far away dawn
How I wish I knew where she’s gone
Here comes that midnight train
Here comes that midnight train

Wreck Of The Old 97 (Larry W. Jones 11/03/2008) (song#5825)

The route from Monroe to Spencer was rolling terrain
Mail was there on time on the Southern Railway fast train
The day, t’was a Sunday, in the year nineteen oh three
September twenty seven went down in history

The train had late arrival in Monroe, Virginia
Ninety Seven had the speed like a fire within ya
Just one hour late was nothing for this steam condenser
Old Ninety Seven would make up that time to Spencer

Many signs were posted to warn of steep grades and curves
But the Fast Mail was driven by guts and steady nerves
North Carolina was a hundred sixty six miles
Engineer Broadey said he would make it there in style

Danville’s Stillhouse Trestle was seventy five feet high
And old Ninety Seven made the approach on the fly
To make that curve before the trestle was looking bleak
Nine good men died at the bottom of Cherrystone Creek

The wreck of the old Ninety Seven is history
And just why it left the tracks is no man’s mystery
Now, Southern Railway wanted the mail to be on time
But Danville’s Stillhouse trestle was the end of the line

All you fair ladies, when you write your love a letter
Don’t be so worried about getting it there on time
Some engineer may speed even though he knows better
The wreck of Old Ninety Seven wasn’t worth your dime

Lost Dream Train Of Mine (Larry W. Jones 12/24/2006) (song#4255)

Hear that lonesome train roll by
It keeps rolling on down the line
Listen to that lonely whistle cry
It’s that lost dream train of mine

Have you ever known a train so long
A thousand wheels slowly crawling by
I’d sing a song of what went wrong
But it’d be so sad that I would cry

Hear that ‘ol lonesome whippoorwill
There’s a lost love he can’t find
She’s like that train beyond the hill
It’s that lost dream train of mine

Now, hear my lonesome blue guitar
I can make these strings all whine
Like the whistle on that train afar
It’s that lost dream train of mine

Have you ever known a train so long
A thousand wheels slowly crawling by
I’d sing a song of what went wrong
But it’d be so sad that I would cry

Hear that ‘ol lonesome whippoorwill
There’s a lost love he can’t find
She’s like that train beyond the hill
It’s that lost dream train of mine

Lonely Horn Of The Outbound Train (Larry W. Jones 03/25/2009) (song#5855)

The sunshine has left this lonely valley
Seems all that’s left now is the cold and rain
The forlorn sound through this lonely valley
Is the lonely horn of the outbound train

How many the years of lost tomorrows
How many tears were shed by hearts in pain
How many the loves now torn in sorrow
By the lonely horn of the outbound train

Our love was grown in a field of clover
But it’s over now and won’t come again
If I’d only known you’d be a rover
With the lonely horn of the outbound train

(instrumental)

My heart is low and it feels like dying
Trying to forget mem’ries that remain
And yet it keeps right on with its crying
At the lonely horn of the outbound train

Our love was grown in a field of clover
But it’s over now and won’t come again
If I’d only known you’d be a rover
With the lonely horn of the outbound train

Moonlight Special (Larry W. Jones 04/01/2009) (song#5862)

I met the friendly postman with the morning mail
Your letter said that you’d be coming on the rail
Dear, I’ll meet you at the station tonight at nine
Moonlight Special, be sure that you arrive on time

Moonlight Special, blow your bull whistle for your friends
Mr engineer, keep that throttle full round the bends
Tonight I’ll see my darlin’, what a sight to see
Moonlight Special, bringing my baby home to me

That day she had to leave was when I had to grieve
But she promised that she’d always be only mine
Her letter came today and my heart is relieved
Moonlight Special, be sure that you arrive on time

(instrumental)

Well, I hear that Moonlight Special balling the jack
Her stack’s a-smokin’, headlight falling on the track
That locomotive’s movin’, no more hills to climb
Moonlight Special, you brought my baby right on time

Folsom Prison Line (Larry W. Jones 07/10/2009) (song#5909)

Now listen all you rounders to my sad and tragic tale
As I lie here dying in this bad Folsom prison cell
They brought me here on a train, said I had to do my time
Though I’m not to blame, I came on that Folsom prison line

Well, I’ve been in Folsom prison fifteen years til today
The truth has not arisen that would take these chains away
Another man is guilty and should take this place of mine
I’m the one who took his place on that Folsom prison line

I thought that we were buddies and would be until the end
But both his hands were bloody and his words were just pretend
Somebody said they saw me but the gun they ne’er did find
The law didn’t care, put me on that Folsom prison line

(instrumental)

How many times I’ve told my story, I don’t really know
I feel cold and lowly each time I hear that whistle blow
Oh, I wish I could ride that train home to clear name sometime
But I rode a one way trip on that Folsom prison line

Now listen all you rounders to my sad and tragic tale
As I lie here dying in this bad Folsom prison cell
They brought me here on a train, said I had to do my time
I’ll die in shame ’cause I came on that Folsom prison line

High Noon To Yuma (Larry W. Jones 07/16/2009) (song#5918)

A ten-wheel Baldwin called the High Noon to Yuma
Rolls the western rails with a mournful huffing sigh
It’s said you see a legend that’s less than human
When you see the High Noon to Yuma rolling by

Longhorns at the siding dying from lack of rain
Don’t even know there’s buzzards circling way up high
The High Noon to Yuma is a fast flying train
Trying to catch up with ghost riders in the sky

Take care if the High Noon to Yuma’s your concern
Those rails to Yuma carries tales men can’t explain
Go tell your next of kin that you might not return
Cowboy, think twice ’bout the High Noon to Yuma train

That town’s a stop on the rails to Petaluma
Now, don’t take me wrong for the words I speak thereof
But if you’re bound to ride the High Noon to Yuma
Leave behind your belongings and the one you love

It’s said you see a legend that’s less than human
That locomotive might just disappear for good
If you set your sights on the High Noon to Yuma
Cowboy, you’ll ride rails of steel not quite understood

High Noon to Yuma
High Noon to Yuma
Cowboy, think twice about the High Noon to Yuma
When you see the High Noon to Yuma rolling by

Boxcar Bob (Larry W. Jones 07/18/2009) (song#5924)

Eight cars behind in a slow rolling freight
A hobo with Dago Red wine lay still
Friend of mine, Boxcar Bob was my soul mate
That he always was and he always will

The old boxcar clinked on every passing link
A tune Boxcar Bob called the hobos chime
All I knew in a night as black as ink
Bob was quite a friend for a long long time

There have been some long rails we’ve traveled, Bob
We were just two hobos that loved to roam
We were ditched off the Gila Monster, Bob
Over in New Mexico far from home

We hid from railroad bulls in purple sage
Alongside the tracks by Sandia Peak
Up in Leadville we rode that narrow gage
On the way to Penrose and Cripple Creek

Bob, we rode the California Northern
Down to San Diego just for a laugh
Everything we owned except skin and bone
We divided it all, Bob, half and half

I remember your words, Bob, although hard
You made me promise by heaven above
If you were the one dealt the first death card
That I’d bury you by the ones you love

It’s like the roundup in the old corral
When the last of the cowboys come around
Well, Boxcar Bob, you’ve been my hobo pal
This old train is rollin’ you homeward bound

Locomotive Number Nine (Larry W. Jones 07/26/2009) (song#5949)

Locomotive number nine rollin’ in here right on time
Tell me, where did my darlin’ step off of your railroad line
Now, there’s one new bag I know she had, crossed in weaves of plaid
And now it grieves me to think she might be the leaving kind

Locomotive number nine rollin’ in here right on time
She got on this old Wabash line they call the Cannonball
Baltimore ain’t that far and she booked in a first class car
I’m up against a wall, I don’t think she loves me at all

(instrumetal)

I should have known better but I wrote her one last letter
And told her not to let strangers hold her when on her way
I’m the spark in her eye but maybe an old flame came by
I wish she was here at the station standing on the quay

I’m up against a wall, I don’t think she loves me at all

Shadow Hobo Joe (Larry W. Jones 08/07/2009) (song#5968)

Spoken:
Just out of work on the east coast, down to my last penny
Huddled by a sign post for a ride, but there wasn’t any
I got tired of waiting in the cold for such a long time
And started walking south toward the Mason and Dixon line
I thought I could make West Virginia in a couple days
If I could get some needed rest while I was on my way
By the second night I was stranded in a railroad town
My fortune was underhanded with cold rain pouring down
I was hungry as a hobo and the wind had a chill
When a locomotive sound, the cold silent darkness filled
The night train stopped and I saw extended a friendly arm
A voice said, come on up here stranger, the box car is warm
In the box car there stood an old man who said with a grin
Come on in here stranger and I’ll share my bottle of gin
I asked him his name and he said it wasn’t by design
I’m Shadow Hobo Joe of the Mason and Dixon line
So, I asked him how he came to be called by such a name
He said, stranger, this old train you’re riding on is to blame
There ain’t no hobo ever lived with a tale same as mine
I’m Shadow Hobo Joe of the Mason and Dixon line
We rode those rails for the better part of that awful night
Until the lights of the next train station came into sight
He said to me, well stranger, this is the end of your line
Up ahead I’ve gotta make the fork of the Brandywine
He handed me a thin dime as I heard the train whistle blow
Said, tell folks inside that Shadow Hobo Joe said hello
Then Shadow Hobo Joe and his train rolled into the night
I looked out through the rain but soon he was gone out of sight
I went inside the train depot to the cafe to dine
Told them Shadow Hobo Joe said hello, cup for his dime
If a pin had been dropped, you could have heard it down the rails
About every face in the cafe had turned deathly pale
I asked what was the matter, and did I say something wrong
Well, every now and then a stranger like you comes along
Every railroad man here knows about Shadow Hobo Joe
Stranger, listen to me, I’ll tell what happened years ago
A little down the tracks at the fork of the Brandywine
A train full of children was comin’ down ahead of time
Both trains were on the main line as they came into the curve
Would have been disaster if not for one who kept his nerve
Hobo Joe took control when the engineer froze in fright
He gave up his own life for a train full of kids that night
The freight train left the tracks at the fork of the Brandywine
With Shadow Hobo Joe of the Mason and Dixon line
Seems every now and then a stranger needs a place that’s warm
And just like to you, Shadow Hobo Joe extends his arm
Stranger, have another cup paid for with his life and dime
He’s Shadow Hobo Joe of the Mason and Dixon line

Phoenix Outbound Freight Railroad (Larry W. Jones 08/30/2009) (song#5996)

I was born in Phoenix with a frown
It was a small Arizona town
I was raised with the sticks all around
And where the only way up was down
The son of a railroad man’s abode
Who only lived by the hobo’s code
I’m gonna ride the route my Daddy rode
On the Phoenix outbound freight railroad

On the Phoenix outbound freight railroad
My Daddy lived by the hobo’s code
On the Phoenix outbound freight railroad
I’m gonna ride the route my Daddy rode

(individual)

I learned to pick a rhythm guitar
In the sticks at a honky tonk bar
Hobo Bill took his last ride, I’m told
On the Phoenix outbound freight railroad
Bill was the son of a railroad man
And he rode the rails until he died
I’m gonna ride the route my Daddy rode
The Phoenix outbound freight is my ride

On the Phoenix outbound freight railroad
My Daddy lived by the hobo’s code
On the Phoenix outbound freight railroad
I’m gonna ride the route my Daddy rode

Soft Brown Eyes Leaving On A Train (Larry W. Jones 07/07/2010) (song #6002)

It was midnight last I saw her
Soft brown eyes leaving on a train
My mind’s eye will always draw her
Leaving town on that outbound main

Love is something I’ll remember
Her love will never come again
Byes brought grieving in December
Soft brown eyes leaving on a train

My days now fall into ages
Filled with such loneliness and pain
I recall of all the pages
Soft brown eyes leaving on a train
(instrumental)

My days now fall into ages
Filled with such loneliness and pain
I recall of all the pages
Soft brown eyes leaving on a train

Oh, if I could run, walk or crawl
To days of our young love again
Then never more would I recall
Soft brown eyes leaving on a train

Old Number Forty Five (Larry W. Jones 07/13/2010) (song#6020)

The weather was cold and raining, tired eyes straining
From the window of the small switchman’s shack that night
Winds and rains were violent, telegraph was silent
And it was many hours before the next daylight

It sounds strange to some, telegraph began to hum
And the young switchman read the dots and dashes through
Then he became afraid, a freight was on the grade
Climbing through the cold wind and rain without a crew

The switch was thrown at the bottom before the turn
But the old train kept puffing right on up the slope
The switchman’s lantern burned as he tried to discern
Something so strange on which his mind just could not cope

He heard a whistle blow from somewhere down below
And said, that sure ain’t the sound of an outward bound
Dots and dashes said a gold mine was in ashes
Just past a trestle where forty men must be found

Then the train appeared, climbing in her strongest gear
Her stack on fire was glowing like a midnight sun
The switchman brought to mind trains from another time
And one that had to make another railroad run

Then he saw her number, burning coal and lumber
She was climbing up the grade with an awful noise
Sure as I’m alive, that’s old number forty five
She runs like a mother trying to save her boys

The switchman knew the tale that rail men love to tell
Of the old locomotive number forty five
Her sounds were like crying for boys who were dying
Young miners were trapped but some may still be alive

Then he remembers, that train had steel and timbers
That could save the lost miners up the Great Divide
But the load wrestled was heavy for the trestle
Number forty five never reached the other side

Sometimes round the bend you can hear a moan begin
From a train that hasn’t been seen for a long time
Some say old number forty five is still alive
She’s still trying to save young miners in their prime

Then he saw her number, burning coal and lumber
She was climbing up the grade with an awful noise
Sure as I’m alive, that’s old number forty five
She runs like a mother trying to save her boys

Old number forty five, some say she never died

Freight Train (Larry W. Jones 08/05/2010) (song#6078)

(Woo Woo)

Freight train!! (Woo Woo)
Freight train!!
Clickety clackin’ down the rails again
The stack is blowin’ black, clickety clack, clickety clack
Clickety, clickety, clickety, clickety, clickety clackin’ down the rails

There’s a pick axe for a miner, old Rick, the Forty Niner
A recliner meant to kick back in when feelin’ finer
A saddle for to straddle a wild mustang soon
And some bottles to stock the wildest west saloon
Freight train!! clickety clackin’ down the rails

Freight train!! (Woo Woo)
Freight train!!
Clickety clackin’ o’er the prairie wide
Ball ‘n jackin’ up and o’er the Great Divide
Clickety, clickety, clickety, clickety, clickety clackin’ down the rails

There’s some leather boots and pans for gold dust pannin’
A suit for a man who’s just a weddin’ plannin’
Some snake oil for relievin’ almost any pain
For those who toil with backs but haven’t any brain
Freight train!! clickety clackin’ down the rails

There’s a trunk filled with mem’ries from an eastern state
Lookin’ for the redwood trees through a western gate
Freight train is a-rollin’, the stack is blowin’ black
It’s California goin’, rollin’ down the track

Freight train!! (Woo Woo)
Freight train!!

One Last Train To Ride (Larry W. Jones 08/13/20102) (song#6107)

I was born in a red caboose in a small west Texas town
I loved the views from the window til they closed the railroad down
My Daddy stoked the fire on the trains until the day he died
And he joked that the Midnight Flyer was one last train to ride

One last train to ride
One last train to ride
I was born in a red caboose with my Daddy by my side
These old railroads are what I’ll choose til there’s one last train to ride

(instrumental)

I pick an old banjo to the rhythm of a hobo’s song
And just like Hobo Bill, I go to where the trains roll along
Daddy never was a hobo and I view him now with pride
But I just might be a hobo til there’s one last train to ride

One last train to ride
One last train to ride
I was born in a red caboose with my Daddy by my side
These old railroads are what I’ll choose til there’s one last train to ride

Back Roads Of My Mind (Larry W. Jones 08/20/2010) (song#6125)

Rolling to a different drummer, she left me this summer
Now I’m right on track chasing rainbows that I’ll never find
Night time never seemed colder, guess I’m just growing older
Shouldering the pain rolling down the back roads of my mind

Rolling down this railroad track, thinkin’ bout the long road back
With a cup of coffee from the railroad depot behind
This old black train goes on rolling through the plains one more time
And the strain that I find is down the back roads of my mind

It seems funny that skies out the window look so sunny
By now we’re climbing over mountains and the Great Divide
On the west side’s the ocean, in my chest is emotion
As I strain to find reasons down the back roads of my mind

(instrumental)

Now we’re rolling through the night time toward L.A. in the morn
I hear the wheels clicking on the rails and the lonesome horn
While time just keeps on rolling down the tracks I’ve left behind
I keep on kicking myself down the back roads of my mind

Texas Zephyr (Larry W. Jones 08/20/2010) (song#6126)

She was born in the summer of nineteen forty
In the balmy month of August, day twenty two
The daughter of the Colorado and Southern
And down the mountains to Forth Worth Texas she flew

It’s near a thousand miles from Denver to Fort Worth
To connect with the Houston Texas Rocket main
She drunk a lot of diesel as she rolled the earth
And they named her the Fort Worth Texas Zephyr train

There rolls the fast Texas Zephyr down from Denver
The Texas Zephyr rolls through sunshine, rain and snow
There rolls the fast Texas Zephyr down from Denver
You can hear the big diesel’s Fort Worth whistle blow

Listen to the whistle at Englewood depot
Then down to Colorado Springs and Pueblo
LaJunta’s a whistle stop, then on to Lamar
Dodge City’s just down the tracks a few hours afar
Rolling on to Hutchinson, Newton and Wichita
Arkansas City, Ponca and Perry are next
Stop in Oklahoma City for diesel checks
The Zephyr’s rolling toward her Fort Worth Texas star

Every day in Denver there’s folks waiting in line
Tickets in hand for the Zephyr that’s right on time
Nowadays it’s a train from out of yesterday
The Denver to Fort Worth Texas Zephyr railway

Texas Rocket (Larry W Jones 09/13/2010) (song#6204)

Well, I was about seven in nineteen thirty seven
And I knew what the Corsicana train depot was for
It was for those locomotives, big and black and dirty
And there was one due at the depot at seven thirty

It was still early in the evening when the train was due
And my Mama and Daddy were waiting there with me too
They were talking ’bout a locomotive that was brand new
One they called the Texas Rocket was about to debut

The thirty two seat baggage dinette coach was named Dream Lake
And the long Mesa Verde coach called for a double take
The Centennial observation car gave heart attacks
When the Texas Rocket came rolling down the railroad tracks

My Daddy couldn’t believe the crowd, there were so many
Mama jerked me back from trying to put down a penny
Look out, she yelled at me, like a wound up Pollyanna
The new Texas Rocket was screaming through Corsicana

She was rolling like a mad dog cyclone and so streamlined
A boy like me had never seen such a thing as her kind
I must have looked like both my eyes were bulged from their sockets
When I saw that train go by they called the Texas Rocket

They Named Me The Train (Larry W Jones 09/13/2010) (song#6207)

They named me the train, I keep rolling down the track
They named me the train, I keep rolling down the track
All the same, I ain’t ever coming back

There’s been a change in the weather, big change in me
There’s been a change in the weather, big change in me
I’ve just rearranged my priorities

This train has a green light, I’ll be rolling along
This train has a green light, I’ll be rolling along
Be in California before too long

(instrumental)

They named me the train, I keep rolling down the track
They named me the train, I keep rolling down the track
All the same, I ain’t ever coming back

This train has a green light, I’m rolling down the track
This train has a green light, I’m rolling down the track
I’m in California and I ain’t ever coming back

They named me the train
They named me the train

Laying Down Tracks To San Antone (Larry W. Jones 09/08/2010) (song#6182)

Railroad, crossties, laying down tracks to San Antone
Along comes an old freight train hauling dreams of home
Railroad workers earn their pay every single day
Laying tracks with their backs along some right of way
Railroad, crossties, laying down tracks to San Antone
Eyes bleary, I’m so weary clear down to my bones

Well, I’ve wrestled crossties with my back all day long
Building trestles for a track, singin’ railroad songs
Like old John Henry, driving spikes til he can’t see
This nine pound hammer’s gonna be the death of me
Railroad, crossties, laying down tracks to San Antone
Eyes bleary, I’m so weary clear down to my bones

(instrumental)

The section boss came around, said that we’d get paid
Just as soon as the last crosstie and rail was laid
I stood my ground and gave that section boss my mind
He made a frown and said I was a hoss’ behind
Railroad, crossties, laying down tracks to San Antone
Eyes bleary, I’m so weary clear down to my bones

Some fine day I’ll find a way, lay this hammer down
For now I’ll stay and face the section boss’es frown
When we get to San Antone, on this right of way
I’ll sing my last railroad song at the end of day
Railroad, crossties, laying down tracks to San Antone
Eyes bleary, I’m so weary clear down to my bones

Balling The Jack (Larry W. Jones 09/09/2010) (song#6190)

Roaming, roaming, roaming
Balling the jack and roaming, roaming everywhere

My Daddy was an engineer, we lived by a railroad track
My Mama shed many a tear, I live by balling the jack
And it looks like I’ll be forever roaming
Balling the jack and roaming, roaming everywhere

Well now, I’ve done a lot of roaming wherever tracks are laid
As far north as Wyoming and as south as the Everglades
And it looks like I’ll be forever roaming
Balling the jack and roaming, roaming everywhere

Well, I’ve worked along the railroads and even a prison farm
Folks say I’ve got muscle for a brain like muscles on my arms
Now, I take that as a complement with no harmful intent
I’ll keep on balling the jack cause roaming has a certain charm

(instrumental)

Well, I’ve worked along the railroads and even a prison farm
Folks say I’ve got muscle for a brain like muscles on my arms

Rounder On The Railroad (Larry W. Jones 09/10/2010) (song#6195)

I am a rounder on the railroad and I work on the main line
Watching for a steel rail that might not be aligned
Her voice is ringing through the rails as locomotive diesels whine
While this rounder on the railroad looks for a sign

For me there is no holiday and the work here is really hard
But that’s a rounder’s way of life in a rail yard
All I ask is to be a man and someday I’ll ask for her hand
While this rounder on the railroad does what he can

(instrumental)

For me there is no holiday and the work here is really hard
But that’s a rounder’s way of life in a rail yard

I am a rounder on the railroad doing what I can

Main Track Back To You (Larry W. Jones 09/12/2010) (song#6200)

Hard reality came to me without warning
I’ve never been this lonely, never been this blue
I’ll be at the railroad station in the morning
And dear, I’ll be taking the main track back to you

Somehow, I got sidetracked from my destination
And now you’re missing from my sight
But tomorrow, please be waiting at the station
I’ll be kissing you in the night

Dear, tomorrow will not be the same old story
I’ll hold you the same old way I did way back when
I hope you can find space in your heart to forgive
For I can see the disgrace of the fool I’ve been

(instrumental)

Hard reality came to me without warning
I’ve never been this lonely, never been this blue
I’ll be at the railroad station in the morning
And dear, I’ll be taking the main track back to you

Somehow, I got sidetracked from my destination
And now you’re missing from my sight
But tomorrow, please be waiting at the station
I’ll be kissing you in the night

I’ll be at the railroad station in the morning
And dear, I’ll be taking the main track back to you

Freight Train Lullaby (Larry W Jones 09/19/2010) (song#6233)

When I was a lad, I’d go to sleep every night
And listen to that midnight freight train whistle blow
I never dreamed of sheep because with all my might
I dreamed of all the places that freight train might go

In the morning I would run as fast as I could
Down to the depot to watch freight trains rolling by
The engineers would wave as though they understood
Trains they were driving sang my freight train lullaby

I’d lay pennies on the track and feel the rumbling
If any freight train was nearby or out of sight
Freight trains would flatten pennies and send them tumbling
Like tumbling in bed for my freight train lullaby

(instrumental)

Oh, how much I wanted to touch those old freight trains
To see if they were only dreams or really real
I look out my window pane even when it rains
To watch a big cast iron horse with a heart of steel

When I hear an old freight train coming down the line
And see a hobo in a boxcar passing by
I wave to him as if he were a friend of mine
And I dream at night of my freight train lullaby

Farewell Train (Larry W. Jones 02/23/2011) (song#6256)

Sunshine has now left this lonely valley
Where my forlorn lost dreams will now remain
The only sound in this lonely valley
Is the outbound horn of the farewell train

How many tears will now come from sorrow
I fear my broken heart will die from pain
Yesterday’s love won’t be here tomorrow
You have disappeared on the farewell train

The happiness we had is now ending
And the plans that we made were all in vain
This broken heart of mine won’t be mending
Parts are now with you on the farewell train

(instrumental)

That sad horn sounds low and near to dying
It’s clear this valley life won’t be the same
And I feel so bad when tears I’m crying
Over your goodbye and the farewell train

How many tears will now come from sorrow
I fear my broken heart will die from pain
Yesterday’s love won’t be here tomorrow
You have disappeared on the farewell train

Yesterday’s love won’t be here tomorrow
You have disappeared on the farewell train

Rocky Mountain Howdy (Larry W. Jones 08/22/2011) (song#6264)

Take that fast train to Denver, not the last train to Denver
When you pull into the train yard
You’ll get a mighty welcome, yes dear, a mighty welcome
My request dear, don’t disregard

Rocky mountain howdy, rocky mountain howdy
You’ll get a rocky mountain howdy all day long
We’ll have a celebration up here in Denver
You’ll get a rocky mountain howdy before long

(instrumental)

Take that fast train to Denver, not the last train to Denver
It’s leaving bye and bye, to climb that Rocky Mountain high
You’ll get a rocky mountain howdy all day long
Rocky Mountain howdy before long

(instrumental)

Take that fast train to Denver, not the last train to Denver
Give that engineer instruction, you want a fast conduction
Just keep those iron wheels a-churning, cause my heart is burning
To give a Rocky Mountain howdy in a song

Rocky mountain howdy, rocky mountain howdy
You’ll get a rocky mountain howdy all day long
We’ll have a celebration up here in Denver
You’ll get a rocky mountain howdy before long

Inbound Train (Larry W. Jones 12/04/2011) (song#6451)

Oh my darling, why have you been gone so long
Why have you been gone so long
Was it quarreling or have I done you wrong
Why have you been gone so long

Now, when I hear that inbound train whistle moan
I look out my window, ring my hands and groan
I hear that rush of steam that endears a dream
Oh my darling, why have you been gone so long

Oh my darling, why have you been gone so long
Why have you been gone so long
Was it quarreling or have I done you wrong
Why have you been gone so long

(instrumental)

I heard an old friend say, buddy mend your ways
Then he said that he had been to San Antone
He said he saw you there, head up in the air
You were on that inbound train so far from home

Oh my darling, why have you been gone so long
Why have you been gone so long
Was it quarreling or have I done you wrong
Why have you been gone so long

He said he saw you there, head up in the air
You were on that inbound train so far from home

Burlington Northern And Santa Fe (Larry W. Jones 12/11/2011) (song#6464)

Well boys, I’m along for the ride
I guess it belongs in my hide
To see the scenes along the way
Out across the prairie somewhere
Where there’s only fresh and clean air
On the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe

When that BNSF gets up her steam
It’s as if she bids the station farewell
I’m in elation as her whistle screams
When she’s outbound full speed o’er hill and dale

How I love to see the full moon at night
And then feel the Pullman car rock and sway
In the day tumbleweeds roll into sight
On the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe

(instrumental)

As the prairie rolls by I wonder why
Why I so love the old Santa Fe trail
I suppose the reason is cut and dried
I’m just along for the ride on the rail

Wreck On The Railroad (Larry W. Jones 12/14/2011) (song#6468)

Now, what train was it, dear neighbor
That passed the old depot on by
When speed and a curve came together
Did you see anyone cry

I didn’t see nobody cry, neighbor
I didn’t see nobody cry
Oh, I heard the wreck on the railroad
But I didn’t see nobody cry

When I saw the wreck on the railroad
I knew that engineer on the line
The scene of awful destruction
Will forever be marked here in my mind

When speed and a curve come together
Someone there will surely die
Death was waiting there, neighbor
But I didn’t see nobody cry

I didn’t see nobody cry, neighbor
I didn’t see nobody cry

(instrumental)

I wish this sad story, neighbor
Was just a tale that was untrue
Time goes on now for us, neighbor
But the engineer’s life is through

When speed and a curve come together
Someone there will surely die
Death was waiting there, neighbor
But I didn’t see nobody cry

His life’s end was by great disaster
On the rails where he thought he could fly
Oh, I saw the wreck on the railroad
But I didn’t see nobody cry

I didn’t see nobody cry, neighbor
I didn’t see nobody cry

Big Coal Black Freight Train (Larry W Jones 10/29/2012) (song#6609)

Big coal black freight train, rolling down the track
My whole world is as dark as your smokestack
Roll back again and make your whistle blow
I’ve got places I ain’t been but must go

Big coal black freight train, don’t leave me behind
Cause my leaving here is now on my mind
Big coal black freight train, listen to my song
You’re my company when I’m so alone

My world is dark and I’m so doggone blue
So many black miles I’ve ridden with you
I know the engineer at your throttle
Give me a ride and I’ll share my bottle

(instrumental)

Big coal black freight train, don’t leave me behind
Cause my leaving here is now on my mind
Big coal black freight train, listen to my song
You’re my company when I’m so alone

Big coal black freight train, a hobo I am
Roll me straight through the rain to Birmingham
Big coal black freight train, my ticket comes free
And I sure have enjoyed your company

Blue Midnight Special (Larry W Jones 12/21/2012) (song#6631)

Blue midnight special, rolling on around the bend
Your glowing black smokestack looks like a long lost friend
Each time you come around I hear your whistle blow
You hide the sun, bring the rain everywhere you go

Blue midnight special, don’t you leave me here behind
My old hobo ways are waitin’ on down the line
Blue midnight special, don’t you leave me here alone
Don’t you know an old outbound boxcar is my home

(instrumental)

Well, I’m feeling blue and I need your company
Blue midnight special, hold the line and wait for me
It’s lonely here waiting for the blue moon to crest
Mister engineer, let me be your midnight guest

Ribbons Of The Land (Larry W Jones 01/12/2013) (song#6646)

I’ve known valleys, shallow and deep
High mountains and hallows they keep
Through them all, stone, gravel, and sand
There runs the ribbons of the land

Through towns all around there is found
Ribbons of steel laid on the ground
From East to West and down seaboard
You still hear the sound of All Aboard

Ribbons of the land on their run
Chasing the sun til day is done
All through the night trains may their way
On steel ribbons til light of day

Recall a place o’re the Divide
A spike driven on prairies wide
Two trains met to musical bands
And joined two ribbons of the land

Ribbons of the land on their run
Chasing the sun til day is done
All through the night trains may their way
On steel ribbons til light of day

When light of dawn heats up the rails
Train horns drone to greet with their wails
My feet will rest just for awhile
Then ride the ribbon rails in style

Ribbons of the land on their run
Chasing the sun til day is done
All through the night trains may their way
On steel ribbons til light of day

Ribbons of the land on their run
Chasing the sun til day is done

Railroad Tramp (Larry W Jones 08/17/2013) (song#6715)

Next to a railroad water tank one damp December day
On the cold floor of a boxcar a railroad tramp there lay
His old buddy sat beside him with tears that made him choke
He listened to the final words the railroad tramp then spoke

I’m riding to a greener land where all is well and right
Where everyone shows charity and knows my dismal plight
When I die and say goodbye I will live my hobo’s dream
There I will reside where rye whiskey fills the valley stream

Relate to all, both big and small, my railroad time is due
Bud, just tell them that I’ll be on the main line going through
Give them my best for I must rest and tell then do not weep
Under the sun my trav’lin’s done and now I go to sleep

Buddy, I hear a whistle and the train is drawing nigh
It must be that midnight zephyr aboard which I must fly
The railroad tramp gave his last food stamp for the outbound main
To his old buddy and boarded the midnight zephyr train

When I die and say goodbye I will live my hobo’s dream
There I will reside where rye whiskey fills the valley stream

Tramp Along The Track (Larry W Jones 08/22/2013) (song#6722)

A midnight train came rollin’, she boarded on the fly
I needed her consolin’ but all she said was bye
She peered out from the window as smoke was blowing black
Then she left me cryin’ like a tramp along the track

Adios, goodbye, she called out through the engine’s steam
Adios, goodbye, goin’ to places I ain’t seen
She said I was a drifter that she ain’t takin’ back
Then she left me cryin’ like a tramp along the track

(instrumental)

I know she’ll keep goin’ somewhere out there in the blue
Probably to places where some tramp has been there too
I tried to settle down and said I would no more roam
Now the table’s upside down cause she has moved along

Adios, goodbye, the outbound track was callin’ her
Adios, goodbye, she’s on the main line, not a spur
I lost what was mine and my future is lookin’ black
When she left me cryin’ like a tramp along the track

I lost what was mine and my future is lookin’ black
When she left me cryin’ like a tramp along the track

Last Train From Maine (Larry W Jones 09/12/2013) (song#6749)

I’m riding the last train from Maine
On rails that must be worn and old
This boxcar’s rolling through the rain
Ain’t no consoling from the cold
Us hobos are never welcome
We’re forever in ragged clothes
I’m riding the last train from Maine
Rolling south where the warm wind blows

I know every hobo jungle
All down from Maine to New Orleans
My bedroll is in a jumble
My socks have stains that can’t be seen
There’s a big black locomotive
On the boiler is number one
I’m riding the last train from Maine
Rolling south toward a warmer sun

(instrumental)

Other hobos will be waiting
When this long freight train comes around
I can tell by the wheels grating
Throttle’s back and we’re slowing down
This ride has covered much terrain
From up north where I nearly froze
I’m riding the last train from Maine
Rolling south wearing summer clothes

(instrumental)

I’m riding the last train from Maine
Rolling south where the warm wind blows

Locomotive Painted Black (Larry W Jones 9/22/2013) (song #6753)

Locomotive painted black, rolling down the railroad track
Did you see just where she stepped off
Would you keep silent if she scoffed
Her new carpet bag she carried
She and I were getting married
Her vows to me of love I hope she hasn’t taken back

Locomotive painted black, rolling down the railroad track
She boarded back in Tennessee
Your train is empty as can be
Now, it wasn’t that long a ride
She should be here right by my side
I must confide to you that my pride is starting to crack

(instrumental)

Oh, I clued her in about how intruders win at hearts
She may have found a new romance
Sometimes that happens with a glance
And just like locomotive fire
That look can strike a new desire
Wish she were here at the station instead of unknown parts

She boarded back in Tennessee
Your train is empty as can be

I Heard Train Engines Running (Larry W Jones 10/04/2013) (song#6763)

I heard train engines running on the rails by our home
They sounded just like thunder in the rain
When I listened to that sound my mind began to roam
I heard it and I’ve never been to same

Don’t you cry now darlin’ and don’t you be feelin’ blue
I talked with you this mornin’ in my dreams
Don’t you cry now darlin’ cause don’t you know I love you
I heard train engines running, blowing steam

Railroads are just steel tracks running every which of way
I’ve been there and back and stayed for awhile
I have gone the distance and my hair is turning gray
But I have loved you dearly every mile

(instrumental)

Sometimes my head gets achin’ in abandoned train yards
Then I hop a freight and be on my way
I’ll check general delivery post for any cards
And darlin’, I’ll answer back somewhere along the way

I heard train engines running on the rails by our home
When I listened to that sound my mind began to roam

Night Train On The Midnight Line (Larry W Jones 10/26/2013) (song#6778)

White light glowing on the trestle track
White smoke blowing from the coal black stack
Night train, leaving me back here so far behind

White steam puffing from the black choo choo
Big wheels rolling while I’m blue, blue, blue
Night train on the midnight line, you’re so unkind

(instrumental)

Well, my darlin’ said her love was true
I didn’t know of her sly design
Now she’s long gone and she left me blue
On that night train on the midnight line

Night train on the midnight line
Night train on the midnight line
You came, she left right on time
Night train, leaving me back here so far behind

Watch That Train A-Rolling (Larry W Jones 06/24/2014) (song#6925)

Watch that train a-rollin’, a-rollin’ round the bend
Watch that train a-rollin’, a-rollin’ round the bend
Well, my darlin’s on it, my heart won’t ever mend

My darlin’ left this mornin’, said she’d taken enough
My darlin’ left this mornin’, said she’d taken enough
I said she’d be sorry, she didn’t take my bluff

Watch that train a-rollin’, a-rollin’ round the bend
Watch that train a-rollin’, a-rollin’ round the bend
Well, my darlin’s on it, my heart won’t ever mend

Mister engineer, slow your locomotive down
Mister engineer, slow your locomotive down
If she keeps goin’, this will be a lonesome town

Watch that train a-rollin’, a-rollin’ round the bend
Watch that train a-rollin’, a-rollin’ round the bend
Well, my darlin’s on it, my heart won’t ever mend

Yeah, my darlin’s on it, my heart won’t ever mend

Santa Fe Super Chief (Larry W Jones 07/19/2014) (song#6944)

Let me tell the tale of one famous train
Her legend is almost beyond belief
She rolled out from Chicago, shine or rain
Blazing rails, the Santa Fe Super Chief

From Chicago to California sun
The Santa Fe Super Chief was on time
Hollywood celebrities rode for fun
With caviar and drinking finest wine

(instrumental)

When you rode her, you’d hear that diesel whine
A hundred miles an hour made the trip brief
Sleeping in the pullman, rocking divine
Sweet time on the Santa Fe Super Chief

Now I’ve told the tale of one famous train
Her legend is almost beyond belief
She rolled out from Chicago, shine or rain
Blazing rails, the Santa Fe Super Chief

Wabash Cannonball (Larry W Jones 07/20/2014) (song#6946)

She rolls as fast as a cannonball
On rails of steel she’s a pretty sight
Her lonesome horn is a sound I love
As she rolls on through a summer night

Two long steel rails and a million crossties hear her mighty call
Gents, ladies and express mail flies on the Wabash Cannonball

(instrumental)

She rolls as fast as a cannonball
On rails of steel she’s a pretty sight
Her lonesome horn is a sound I love
As she rolls on through a summer night

The hand of the engineer has the throttle full to the wall
There’s no fear as he rounds the curve on the Wabash Cannonball

Her lonesome horn is a sound I love
Coming from the Wabash Cannonball

Blow That Horn Mister Engineer (Larry W Jones 02/05/2017) (song #7027)

This old box car is rolling through the night
Following a star somewhere out of sight
Won’t you blow that horn Mister Engineer
Before that old town called Nashville is here

Blow that horn Mister Engineer
Wake me up when Nashville is near
My Boomer Days are almost gone
I gotta sing my railroad song

(Instrumental)

Well, I had lots of ramblin’ on my mind
But the time has come for me to unwind
Nashville is calling to me loud and clear
Won’t you blow that horn Mister Engineer

Blow that horn Mister Engineer
Wake me up when Nashville is near
My Boomer Days are almost gone
I gotta sing my railroad song

Soundtrack Of Railroad Tracks (Larry W Jones 03/25/2017) (song #7102)

My darlin’ packed her case today and went away
Oh, and she didn’t say just where she’s gonna stay
I heard her say, now Jack, I won’t be coming back
So, you can play that jukebox song of railroad tracks

(Instrumental)

Now, I don’t know just what it was I went and did
But when I came home late she went and flipped her lid
She was on an outbound track and laid down the law
Said something about a straw, then about her Ma

Play that soundtrack of railroad tracks she’s rolling on
The one that sounds just like she’s gone and done me wrong
My heart for her burns but she’s on the tracks of no return
Play that soundtrack of railroad tracks she’s rolling on
My heart for her burns but she’s on the tracks of no return
Play that soundtrack of railroad tracks she’s rolling on

Son Of The Tramp Iron Railroad (Larry W Jones 03/28/2017) (song #7106)

Well, I was born in Costa Mesa by the railroad track
Mama gave birth in a tar papered shack
And by the time I was fourteen I lived like twenty one
Cause I learned how to survive on my own

Now, my Daddy was a hobo, so that’s what I’ve been told
Mama never saw the love she was owed
I’ve ridden these old rusty rails until now I am old
I’m just a Son of the tramp iron railroad

People call be a hobo whenever I’m in their town
They walk the other way when I’m around
I know just what they’re thinking and what was on me bestowed
Another son of the tramp iron railroad

(Instrumental)

Now, my Daddy was a hobo, so that’s what I’ve been told
Mama never saw the love she was owed
I’ve ridden these old rusty rails until now I am old
I’m just a Son of the tramp iron railroad

People call be a hobo whenever I’m in their town
They walk the other way when I’m around
I know just what they’re thinking and what was on me bestowed
Another son of the tramp iron railroad

I’m just a son of the tramp iron railroad
Son of the tramp iron railroad

Long Train (Larry W Jones 03/31/2017) (song #7110)

Long train, long train, you’re rolling so slow
Long train, long train, big horn blowing low
Makes no difference what track I’m on
Long as this long train keeps rolling on

Long train, just where are you headed for
Both you and I don’t care anymore
When she left me that’s when I left too
Now all that left is this long train blues

Long train, long train, you’re rolling so slow
Long train, long train, big horn blowing low
Makes no difference what track I’m on
Long as this long train keeps rolling on

(Instrumental)

Long train, long train, you’re rolling so slow
Long train, long train, big horn blowing low
Makes no difference what track I’m on
Long as this long train keeps rolling on

Long train, long train, you’re rolling so slow
Long train, long train, big horn blowing low
She’s gone, she’s gone, now I’m all alone
Ride this long train til her mem’ry’s gone

She’s gone, she’s gone, now I’m all alone
Ride this long train til her mem’ry’s gone

Dixieland Express (Larry W Jones 04/17/2017) (song #7132)

Step aboard the Dixieland, yeah, ride on the Dixieland
From the wide Atlantic through the cotton fields heading west
Step aboard the Dixieland, yeah, ride on the Dixieland
The Dixieland Express

Now, hear the lonesome sound of the train rolling outward bound
Puffing on the main line South toward old Louisian’ on time
Free as the breeze and going where I please on Dixie ground
The Dixieland Express

Step aboard the Dixieland, yeah, ride on the Dixieland
From the wide Atlantic through the cotton fields heading west
Step aboard the Dixieland, yeah, ride on the Dixieland
The Dixieland Express

(Instrumental)

Now, hear the low clickety-clack on the main line track
Oh, it sounds just the same and every time it calls my name
That’s why I’m Dixieland bound with that smokestack blowing black
This is a train of fame

Step aboard the Dixieland, yeah, ride on the Dixieland
From the wide Atlantic through the cotton fields heading west
Step aboard the Dixieland, yeah, ride on the Dixieland
The Dixieland Express

Step aboard the Dixieland, yeah, ride on the Dixieland
The Dixieland Express

Old Boxcars Roll To Places New (Larry W Jones 8/16/2018) (song #7283)

Well, this ain’t no passenger train
Just an old boxcar on the main
I’ve been riding it through the night
Be somewhere new at morning light

I’ve seen cities, I’ve been around
I’ve seen pitiful run down towns
And most I’ll never return to
Old boxcars roll to places new

I’ve seen bald eagles flying high
I’ve heard hoot owls hoot in the night
I’ve made some friends black, white and red
A hobo village for my head

(Instrumental)

Well, this ain’t no passenger train
Just an old boxcar on the main
I’ve been riding it through the night
Be somewhere new at morning light

I’ve seen cities, I’ve been around
I’ve seen pitiful run down towns
And most I’ll never return to
Old boxcars roll to places new

And most I’ll never return to
Old boxcars roll to places new

Black Coal Train (Larry W Jones 02/07/2019) (song #7422)

Now, listen while we gather round the old black stove
A story about a train that my Daddy drove
In Leadville Colorado ran the black coal veins
That’s where Daddy started driving the black coal train

Real early in the morning when the sun was low
Rolling out of Leadville he made the train horn blow
Headed down to Texas on the steel railroad main
Mama cooked the meals and waited for black coal train

(Instrumental)

Right on time every week about the break of day
We heard the train a-comin’ down the right of way
Daddy drove that old train no matter shine or rain
From Leadville to Texas rolling the black coal train

Well, I know that story ended a long time ago
Daddy told us his stories round the old black stove
About rolling down to Texas in the cold and rain
And coming back to Mama in the black coal train

Daddy’s life was in Leadville on the black coal train

Illinois Central Line (Larry W Jones 03/27/2019) (song #7497)

Now, everybody calls me Hobo Jones
I don’t fit in my clothes, just skin and bones
Oh, but I can still hop an old boxcar
Look out the door and view the stars that shine
Rolling on the Illinois Central Line

When I hear that low southbound whistle blow
I know it’s time for Hobo Jones to go
Down to New Orleans and the Gulf shores brine
Rolling on the Illinois Central Line
Rolling on the Illinois Central Line

(Instrumental)

I had me a lady in Illinois
She made too much noise bout my hobo life
So I hopped a freight to escape the strife
Now everything is working out just fine
Rolling on the Illinois Central Line

Hear the clack of the rolling railroad wheels
After New Orleans I’ll roll to Mobile
This hobo life suits my lifestyle just fine
Rolling on the Illinois Central Line
Rolling on the Illinois Central Line

Now, everybody calls me Hobo Jones
The Illinois Central Line’s rolling on

Tucson Train (Larry W Jones 04/25/2019) (song #7521)

Well, I grew up hearing some long tall tales
On my old grandpa’s knee he made it plain
He rode with the outlaws by long steel rails
Jesse and Billy robbed the Tucson train

For hours I sat upon his bowlegged knees
Listened to his stories of Jesse James
With Billy and Jesse grandpa told me
How they all three ambushed the Tucson train

Grandpa told of Billy and other things
He was called The Kid who went down in fame
At robbing trains he was the youngest king
And the other king’s name was Jesse James

For hours I sat upon his bowlegged knees
Listened to his stories of Jesse James
With Billy and Jesse grandpa told me
How they all three ambushed the Tucson train

Well, I grew up and my grandpa grew old
He rode horses and now I ride airplanes
I figured out that the tall tales he told
Belong in story books with western aims

For hours I sat upon his bowlegged knees
Listened to his stories of Jesse James
With Billy and Jesse grandpa told me
How they all three ambushed the Tucson train

Well, grandpa’s funeral drew quite a crowd
Two cowboy’s faces were forlorn and strained
They were strangers and I heard a low sound
As both of them disappeared in the rain

I remember faces forlorn and strained
Both old cowboys called out my grandpa’s name
And the sound I heard was a sound of fame
It was the low horn of the Tucson train

Til The Boxcar Got Old (Larry W Jones 07/04/2019) (song #7550)

There’s an old wooden boxcar that’s left to rot away
It’s one I rode the rails in back in the good old days
The hobos were my neighbors and all of us rode free
When that old boxcar was new it was something to see

I started out when I was young to see the whole world
I saw the four winds blow and saw scenes of life unfurled
Never owned no land and I never had any gold
For forty long years I rode til the boxcar got old

(Instrumental)

I heard my Daddy say son there’s danger when alone
I can see you’re restless and want to be on your own
So I watched my back and survived where that boxcar rolled
For forty long years I rode til the boxcar got old

Steel wheels on the boxcar and the wood was painted green
Clicking and the clacking said it was no limousine
But that was fine with me cause I never fit that mold
For forty long years I rode til the boxcar got old

But that was fine with me cause I never fit that mold
Iron rails I rode til I and that new boxcar got old

Boxcars Rolling Far From Home (Larry W Jones 02/03/2020) (song #7668)

With raindrops coming through the cracks and teardrops on my sack
This old boxcar’s the only thing I call my own
My heart’s always pining while that locomotive’s whining
Pulling a hundred boxcars rolling far from home

I had a love who was Texan with a fine complexion
But her love words I could not be dependent on
Now this old train ain’t warm but it keeps my poor heart from harm
Pulling a hundred boxcars rolling far from home

(Instrumental)

I ain’t one for nitpicking as steel wheels keep on clicking
Hopping boxcars keeps me busy just hanging on
Warm tears sometimes get me choking as that stack is smoking
Pulling a hundred boxcars rolling far from home

Down to my last bottle as he opens up the throttle
These old rails will take me to where I’ve never gone
My mind is full of worry but this train’s in no hurry
Pulling a hundred boxcars rolling far from home

These old rails will take me to where I’ve never gone
Pulling a hundred boxcars rolling far from home

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