[Verse 1]
It was early in the fall and a-blowin' up a squall
From the trestle you could hear the weirdest moans
With a mighty lonesome cry came a whistle from the sky
And it chilled the very marrow in my bones
Then a loud rushing roar like you never heard before
Turned the blood to icy water in my veins
As I watched with rising fear something strange was drawing near
And I saw in the clouds ghost trains

[Chorus]
(Ghost trains, ghost trains what a fearful sight)
The Cannonball and No. 9 were racing through the night
Just as they passed me by I heard the engineer cry
"Giver her coal, give her coal, shovel it on"
You could see the fireman grinnin' in the engine that was winnin'
But I knew before the finish they'd be gone
(Well, he knew before the finish they'd be gone)

[Verse 2]
You could see the drivers roll as they shovelled on the coal
And the black smoke came pouring from the stacks
As they thundered through the sky I am here to testify
You could hear the wheels a-clickin' on the tracks
Through the smoke and the steam you could see the headlights gleam
Now, I have no proof but still the fact remains
You may doubt it but I swear there were cinders in my hair
When I saw in the clouds ghost trains
[Chorus]
(Ghost trains, ghost trains what a fearful sight)
The Cannonball and No. 9 were racing through the night
Just as they passed me by I heard the engineer cry
"Giver her coal, give her coal, shovel it on"
You could see the fireman grinnin' in the engine that was winnin'
As I watched I saw them fade into the dawn
(As he watched he saw them fade into the dawn)