SOUTH BOUND PASSENGER TRAIN
As sung by Bryant's Jubilee Singers¹, 1928 and 1931²

Mm-mm-mm-mm.³

CHORUS: Gonna ride (gonna ride) that train, I mean, that south-bound passenger train.
I'm gonna buy me a ticket just as long as my arm.
I'm gonna ride that train, babe, all night long.
Gonna ride (gonna ride) that train, I mean, that south-bound passenger train.
I'm gonna choo-choo right through (all off) for Birmingham.

REPEAT CHORUS

Got a letter from my baby (that I left) in Birmingham.
She's the sweetest little girlie (that I left) in Birmingham.
She's so sweet; she's so neat,
That when she walks she'll tickle you off o' your feet.
She is some fine ma (red-hot) in Birmingham.

CHORUS

That southern jack, that great big southern jack.
First thing you do is put your shovel in the coal.
Stick your head out the window; see the drivers roll.
That southern jack, that great big southern jack,
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, that southern jack.⁴

CHORUS

Mm-mm-mm-mm.⁵

- - -
1. The name of the group as reported by The Online Discographical Project, which is indexed at Honking Duck. Sometimes their recordings were released under aliases.

2. They recorded it twice. Both versions, with different matrix numbers, appear on the Document Records album "Bryant's Jubilee Quartet / Quintette: Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order" (DOCD-5437), but I didn't notice any difference in the lyrics or arrangement. I suppose they recorded it a second time only to take advantage of better recording equipment that became available.

3,5. These lines imitate a distant train whistle.

4. This line, and the last line of the last chorus, are greatly slowed down.