SINGER: Hank Snow

SONG:The Last Ride

In the dodge city yards of the sante fe
stood a freight made up for the east
and the engineer with his oil and waste
was groomin' the great iron beast;
While ten cars back in the murky dust
a box-car door swung wide
and a hobo lifted his pal aboard
to start on his last, long ride;
A lantern swung and the freight pulled out
the engine it gathered speed
the engineer pulled the throttle wide
and clucked to his fiery steed;
Ten cars back in the empty box
the hobo rolled a pill
the flare of the match showed his partners' face
stark white and deathly still;
As the train wheels clicked on the couplin' joints
a song for the ramblers' ears
the hobo talked to the still, white form
his pal for many a year;
[spoken]
for a mighty long time we've rambled, jack
with the luck of men that roam
with the back door steps for a dining room
and the boxcar for a home;
We dodged the bulls on the eastern route
and the cops on the chesapeake
we travelled the leadville narrow gauge
in the days of cripple creek;
We drifted down through sunny cal
on the rails of the old s. p.
and of all you had, through good and bad
a half always belonged to me;
You made me promise to you, jack
if i lived and you cashed in
to take you back to the old churchyard
and bury you there with your kin;
You seemed to know i would keep my word
for you said that i was wise
well, i'm keepin my promise to you, pal
'cause i'm takin' you home tonight;
I hadn't the money to send you there
so i'm takin' you back on the 'fly'
it's the decent way for a bo to go
home to the by and by;
I knew that fever had you, jack
and that doctor just wouldn't come
he was too busy treatin' the wealthy folks
to doctor a worn out bum;
[sung]
as the train rolled over it's ribbon of steel
straight through to the east it sped
the engineer in his high cab seat
keep his eyes on the rails ahead;
While ten cars back in the empty box
the lonely hobo sighed
for the days of old and his pal so cold
was taking his last long ride.