[Verse 1]
All around the water tank, waiting for a train
A thousand miles away from home, sleeping in the rain
I walked up to a brakeman to give him a line of talk
He said, "If you've got money, I'll see that you don't walk"
I haven't got a nickel, not a penny can I show
"Get off, get off, you railroad bum," and he slammed the boxcar door

[Verse 2]
Well, he put me off in Texas, that's a place I dearly love
With the wide open spaces all around me, the moon and stars above
Nobody seems to want me or lend me a helping hand
I'm on my way from Frisco, going back to Dixieland
My pocketbook is empty, my heart is full of pain
I'm a thousand miles away from home, just waiting for a train