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Railroad Bill Lyrics

Artist: Ramblin' Jack Elliot
Album: Best Of The Vanguard Years

Railroad Bill, Railroad Bill
He never worked, and he never will,
And it's ride, ride, ride.

Railroad Bill's a mighty mean man
Shot the light out of the poor brakeman's hand

Railroad Bill, up on a hill
Lightin' a seegar with a ten-dollar bill.

Railroad Bill took my wife,
If I didn't like it, gonna take my life.

Goin' on a mountain, goin' out west
Thirty-eight special stickin' out of my vest.

Buy me a pistol just as long as my arm
Shoot everybody ever done me harm.

Got a thirty-special in a forty-five frame,
I can't miss 'cause I got dead aim.

Railroad Bill, he ain't so bad
Whupped his mama, shot his old dad.

Early one morning, standing in the rain
Round the bend come a long freight train.

Railroad Bill a-comin' home soon
Killed McMillan by the light of the moon

McMillan had a special train
When they got there they was prayin'

Kill me a chicken, send me the wing
They think I'm workin', Lord, I ain't doin' a thing.

Kill me a chicken, send me the head,
Think I'm workin', Lord, I'm layin' in bed.

Gonna drink my whiskey, drink it in the wind
The doctor said it'd kill me but he didn't say when.

Comments/Interpretations

by John Wren on 7/9/2008 7:36am
I missed Ramblin' Jack by just a few years and really do regret it.
I was too young to afford records in the 1950's and now find his material hard to find.

by Spotify user on 12/21/2012 12:56am
Spotify

by christopher sewell on 2/27/2013 1:58pm
good song

by Jonny on 5/24/2014 11:22am
Go see him live.