This is a true story, Frank and Jesse James were outlaw “criminals” or what I like to call guys that did what they had to do to survive.
One say they robbed a bank in Northfield MN. They spilt up to lay low until the lawmen had something better to do.
My great great Grandma, and great grandmother and my great aunt from Germany (aunt came in the summers to visit) lived in either Meridian MN area (Waseca, Owatonna area) on a little hobby farm. One day a stranger showed up and asked if they could spare clean bandages water, food, and shelter. Said he was Passing thru on his way to a job in the south was shot, lost his horse to thieves, I want to say he had a leg wound, my great great grandmother cleaned up his injury, fed him, and offered shelter, this man tried to give her the equivalent of $1000 in todays money. She refused the money but said he could stay and recuperate, but she asked if he could do repairs to the home, barn and well pump. He ended up staying for a while, im not sure how long, but from the stories I heard I would guesstimate 2-3 months but I’m purely guessing, One day she went to look for him and saw him riding away on a horse with 2 others.
Now to the point she heard the term Smoke stack lightning from my great great aunt, she described him of having smoke stack lightening running thru his veins. I asked my grandmother what that meant, her definition was, the explosion of unbelievable power from a locomotive, and I have heard versions of that in songs, and other history books.


in 1978 i saw the note, envelope, and money he left, and over the years they found money stashed in the home and barn. My aunt from Germany drank alcohol like it was water and rumor had it Frank got a little hammered a few times……..
The note was short and sweet and said something like thank you for your help and for not and for not alerting the law Signed Frank James” all three knew he was one of the group that robbed the bank.


Technically the saying some stack lightening can mean whatever you want it to,
Old blues songs confirm a similar definition, thru out the years many Rock bands used the term, my favorite is THE CULT. If you like Rock from the 80’’s and earlier 1990.
I suggest reading these lyrics.



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Lyrics
Wound up, can't sleep, can't do anything right, little honey,
Oh, since I set my eyes on you
I tell you the truth
T-t-t-twistin' like a flame in a slow dance, baby
You're driving me crazy
Come on, little honey, come on now
Fire, smoke she is a rising
Fire, yeah smoke on the horizon
Fire, smoke she is a rising
Fire, oh smoke stack lightning, smoke stack lightning
Well, shake it up, you're to blame, got me swayin' little honey
My heart's a ball of burnin' flame
Oh, yes it is
Prancing like a cat on a hot tin shack,
Lord, have mercy come on little sister, come on and shake it
Fire, smoke she is a rising
Fire, oh smoke on the horizon
Fire, smoke she is a rising
Fire, oh smoke stack lightning baby
I was thinking what I've been missing
I'll tell you truthfully, well
She's coming close now
Oh, I can feel her
She's getting close to me
And I never, yeah
Fire, smoke, she is a rising
Fire, oh smoke on the horizon
Fire smoke, she is a a risin', risin', risin' fire
Smokestack lightnin'
Aj-j-j, burnin' out
And shake it, baby
Come on and burn it
I say, send down fire to me
Say, send down fire to me, say, send down fire to me, yeah
Fire woman, you're to blame
Fire woman, you're to blame
Fire woman, you're to blame
Fire woman, you're to blame
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Ian Robert Astbury / William Duffy / William Henry Duffy
Fire lyrics © Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs, Warner Chappell Music, Inc