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Jim Blake's Message

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Jim Blake's Message

 

Jim Blake your wife is dying

Went over the wires tonight

The message was brought to the depot

By a lad all trembling with fright

 

He entered the office crying

His face was terribly white

Send this message to dad and his engine

Mother is dying tonight

 

 

In something less than an hour

Jim's message back to me flew

Tell wife I'll be there at midnight

I'm praying for her too

 

I left my son in the office

Took the message to Jim's wife

There I found the dying woman

Was scarce of breath and life

 

 

O'er hill and dale and valley

Thunders the heavy train

His engine is sobbing and throbbing

And under a terrible strain

 

But Jim hangs onto his throttle

Guiding her crazy flight

And his voice cries out in the darkness

God speed the express tonight

 

 

I telephoned the doctor

How is Jim's wife I asked

About the hour of midnight

Is long as she can last

 

In something less than an hour

The train will be along

But here I have a message

Oh god there is something wrong

 

The message reads disaster

The train is in the ditch

The engineer is dying

Derailed by an open switch

 

And there is another message

To Jim's wife it is addressed

I'll meet you at midnight in heaven

Wait for the fast express