THE RUNAWAY TRAIN
Written by Robert E. Massey & Carson Robinson
As recorded by Vernon Dalhart, 1925

'Twas in the year of '89,
On that old Chicago line,
When the winter wind was blowing shrill,
The rails were froze, the wheels were cold,
And then the air brakes wouldn't hold,
And Number 9 came roaring down the hill.

Oh, the runaway train came down the track and she blew.
The runaway train came down the track and she blew.
The runaway train came down the track.
The whistle wide and the throttle back
And she blew-ew, blew, blew, blew.

The engineer said the train must halt and she blew.
The engineer said the train must halt and she blew, she blew.
The engineer said the train must halt.
He said it was all the fireman's fault
And she blew-ew, blew, blew, blew.

Oh, the fireman said he rang the bell and she blew.
The fireman said he rang the bell and she blew.
The fireman said he rang the bell,
The engineer said ya did like ----,
And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew.

Oh, the porter got an awful fright and she blew, she blew.
The porter got an awful fright and she blew, she blew.
The porter got an awful fright.
He got so scared that he turned white,
And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew.

Oh, a drummer sat in the parlor car and she blew.
A drummer sat in the parlor car and she blew.
A drummer sat in the parlor car,
And he nearly swallered a fat cigar,
And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew.

Oh, the runaway train went over the hill and she blew.
The runaway train went over the hill and she blew.
The runaway train went over the hill,
And the last we heard, she was goin' still,
And she blew-ew blew, blew, blew.