Well he bang on this, and bang on that
He'd adjust the timing
Turn the mag and set the screw
Then he'd fix the idle
Finally he'd make 'em run
As good as they were gonna be
And everything you knew you know
He taught it all to me
And he liked small motors
Fly wheels on the side
Single piston engines made out of cast iron
He liked small motors
He'd start 'em one by one
We'd stand around and we'd listen
To them little engines run

And he wore railroad coveralls
With his name written on the chest
We talked Model A's and T's
While he rolled cigarettes
And we'd get lost inside our thoughts
And we'd let those tanks run dry
And one by one those little engines
Sputter and they'd die
And he liked small motors
Fly wheels on the side
Single piston engines made out of cast iron
He liked small motors
He'd start 'em one by one
We'd stand around and we'd listen
To them little engines run
Boys I know you're in your suits
And you've come to say goodbye
And I can tell you miss him too
By the tears in your eyes
But I'm asking you a favor
By a boy who's brokenhearted
Help me get these suckers down
Help me get 'em started
And he liked small motors
Fly wheels on the side
Single piston engines made out of cast iron
He liked small motors
He'd start 'em one by one
We'd stand around and we'd listen
To them little engines run