I went down to the railroad yard to watch the trains come by
Knew the train would roll that day, but I did not know what time

Good morning Mister Railroad Man, what time does your train roll by?
Nine-sixteen, two-forty-four, twenty-five minutes 'till five
Well, at nine-sixteen, two-forty-four, twenty-five minutes 'till five
Thank you Mister Railroad Man, I wanna watch your train roll by

I was standing on the platform, smoking a big cigar
Waiting for the next freight train that carried an empty car

Well, I rode her down to Danville Town, got stuck on a Danville girl
You can bet your life she was out of sight, she wore that Danville curl
She wore her hat on the back of her head like high-tone people do
But the very next train come down that track, I bid that girl adieu

I pulled that cap down over my heart, went a-walkin' down the track
I got onto some old boxcar and I never did come back
Well hey, hey hey hey, ho, ho, ho
Ho, ho, ho, and a-hey, hey, hey