THE RUNAWAY TRAIN
(Robert E. Massey / Harry Warren / Carson Robison)

Vernon Dalhart - 1925
Carson Robison & His Pioneers - 1932
Michael Holliday - 1956


T'was in the year of eighty-nine, on that old Chicago line**
When the winter wind was blowin' shrill
The rails were froze, the wheels were cold, then the air
brakes wouldn't hold
And Number Nine came roaring down the hill.....oooooh!

The runaway train came down the track and she blew, she blew
The runaway train came down the track and she blew, she blew
The runaway train came down the track, her whistle wide and
her throttle back
And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew

The engineer said the train must halt and she blew, she blew
The engineer said the train must halt and she blew, she blew
The engineer said the train must halt, he said it was all
the fireman's fault
And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew

The fireman said he rang the bell and she blew, she blew
The fireman said he rang the bell and she blew, she blew
The fireman said he rang the bell, the engineer said "You
did like hell!"
And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew

The porter got an awful fright and she blew, she blew
The porter got an awful fright and she blew, she blew
The porter got an awful fright, he got so scared he near
turned white
And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew

A donkey was standing in the way and she blew, she blew
A donkey was standing in the way and she blew, she blew
A donkey was standing in the way and all they found was just
his bray
And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew

A drummer sat in the parlor car and she blew, she blew
A drummer sat in the parlor car and she blew, she blew
A drummer sat in the parlor car and he nearly swallowed a
fat cigar
And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew

The conductor said there'd be a wreck and she blew, she blew
The conductor said there'd be a wreck and she blew, she blew
The conductor said there'd be a wreck and he felt the chills
run up his neck
And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew

The runaway train went over the hill and she blew, she blew
The runaway train went over the hill and she blew, she blew
The runaway train went over the hill and the last we heard
she was going still
And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew


** Dalhart sang "Chicago" as "Shy-Cago"
** Sometimes sung as "Great Western line"