All around the water tank
Waitin' 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 says if you've got money
I'll see that you don't walk

Well I haven't got a nickel
Not a penny can I show
He said get off, get off you railroad bum
And slammed the boxcar door

Oh la-ee, oh la-ee, oh la-ee
Oh la-ee, oh la-ee, oh

He put me off in Texas
That's a place I love
Wide open spaces all around me
Moon and stars above

Nobody seems to want me
Or lend me a helping hand
I'm on my way from 'Frisco
Goin' back to Dixieland
But my pocketbook is empty
And my heart is filled with pain
I'm a thousand miles away from you
Just waiting for a train

Oh la-ee, oh la-ee, oh la-ee
Oh la-ee, oh la-ee, oh