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Our Singing Country |
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i "Adieu to the Stone Walls," the prisoner sighed ; "I'm now going to leave you, done made up my mind, I'm now going to leave you, farther westward to stroll, I'll ride them long Red Balls wherever they roJL"
2 I mounted that Red Ball, just about ttn o'clock;
The whistle blowed loudly, the drive-wheels did knock; The whistle blowed loudly o'er a lost boy's trail, The echoes did mingle far over the hills.
3 The drive wheels were knocking at a forty-mile rate, And, boys, I was riding that long Red Ball freight; I dumb to the caboose, to all trainmen's place, Starvation and death, boys, were both in my face.
4 Then we rolled to a city where they bought me some clothes, They dressed me so neatly from my head to my toes; They bought me a brake cap, also a white light,
Saying, "If you're skillful, you'll make it all right,"
5 They tried me awhile, boys, said: "Now you're all right. Climb out on the top now, take with you this light."
I dumb out on top, boys, and I waved them to go, A-watchin' my signal conductor below.
6 Then we rolled to the next city where they're searching for me; I paid them no mind, boys, you can plainly see.
Up stepped a lone cop to the side of my car,
Saying, "Brakeman, please tell me, if it lies in your power.
Is there a 'scaped convict on this long Red Ball?
I'm hunting a convict who escaped those Stone Walls." *
7 "That is not my job, sir, you may plainly understand; I'm only a brakeman, I'm no convict man.
Go forth and you'll find him, place it on your records: No trainmen hunt convicts or fool with rewards."
* The last two lines repeat the melody of the two preceding. |
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