In the City Yards of the Santa Fe Stood a freight made up for the And the with his oil and waste Was groomin' the iron beast While ten cars back in the murky A boxcar door wide And a hobo his pal aboard To start on his last ride
A lantern swung and the freight out The engine, it speed The engineer pulled the throttle And to his fiery steed
Ten back in the empty box The hobo rolled a The flare of the match his partner's face Stark and deathly still As the train wheels clicked on the couplin' A song for the ear The hobo talked to the white form His pal for a year
(Spoken) For a mighty long time, rambled, Jack the luck of men that roam With the backdoor for a dining room And a boxcar for a We the bulls on the Eastern route And the cops on the We the Leadville narrow gauge In the days of Cripple We down thru sunny Cal On the of that old S. P. And of all you had, thru and bad A always belonged to me You made me to you Jack If I lived, and you in To take you back to the old yard And bury you there with kin You seemed to know I keep my word 'Cause you that I was right Well, I'm keepin' my to you, pal 'Cause I'm you home tonight I haven't the money to send you So, I'm you back on the fly the decent way for a 'bo to go to the by and by I that that fever had you, Jack And doctor, he just wouldn't come He was too treatin' the wealthy folks To a worn-out bum
As the train rolled over its ribbons of Straight thru to the East it The engineer in his high cab his eye on the rails ahead While ten back in the empty box A lonely hobo For the of old and his pal, so cold Who was takin' his last ride