Vernon Dalhart - Wreck Of The Old '97 Lyrics
They gave him his ordersAt Monroe, VirginiaSayin' Pete you're way behind timeThis is not '38, but its old '97You must put her into Spencer on timeHe looked round an' saidTo his black, greasy firemanJus' shove on in a lil' more coalAnd when we cross that wide old mountainYou can watch old '97 rollIt's a mighty rough roadFrom Lynchburg to DanvilleIn a line on a three mile gradeIt was on that gradeThat he lost his airbrakeAnd you see what a jump he madeHe was goin' down the gradeMakin' ninety miles an hourWhen his whistle broke into a screamHe was found in the wreckWith his hand on the throttleAnd a scalded to death by the steamNow ladies you must take warnin'From this time now and onNever speak harsh wordsTo your true love and husbandHe may leave you and never return