click to play

Come all you rounders listen here,
I'll tell you the story of a brave engineer.
Casey Jones was the Hogger's name.
On a six eight wheeler, boys, he won his fame.
Caller called Casey at half-past four,
He kissed his wife at the station door.
Mounted to the cabin with his orders in his hand
And took his farewell trip to the Promised Land.

(Chorus)
Casey Jones mounted to the cabin.
Casey Jones with his orders in his hand,
Casey Jones mounted to the cabin
And took his farewell trip to the Promised Land.

Put in your water and shovel in your coal,
Put your head out the window,
Watch the drivers roll.
"I'll run her till she leaves the rail
'Cause we're eight hours late with the Western Mail."
He looked at his watch and his watch was slow,
Looked at the water and the water was low,
Turned to his fireboy, then he said,
"We're bound to reach 'Frisco
But we'll all be dead!"

Casey pulled up Reno Hill,
Tooted at the crossing
With an awful shrill.
'Snakes all knew be the engine's moans
That the hogger at the throttle was Casey Jones.
He pulled up short two miles from the place,
Freight train stared him right in the face,
Turned to his fireboy, "Son, you'd better jump
'Cause there's two locomotives
That are going to bump."

Casey said just before he died
"There's two more roads
I'd like to ride."
Fireboy asked, "What can they be?"
"The Rio Grande and the Santa Fe."
Mrs Jones sat on her bed a sigh'n
Had a pink that her Casey was dy'n.
Said, "Hush you children, stop your cry'n,
'Cause you'll get another Papa
On the Salt Lake Line."



abc | midi | pdf
Source: Singing Together, Summer 1967, BBC Publications

Notes:
A slightly confusing acknowlegement is given for this on the pamphlet:

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS for the words and music of 'Casey Jones' from Something to Sing published Oxford University Press.

The following note appears in the Digital Tradition:

Many songs have been sung about Casey Jones and the famous train
wreck of 1909. At the time of the tragedy, according to one
legend, Casey, throttle puller of the Illinois Central's crack
Cannonball, was driving No. 638, making a run for a friend who
was ill. The train was wrecked at Vaughn, Mississippi, and Casey
died at the throttle. Wallace Saunders, his Negro engine wiper,
set down the story of his death and it was sung to the then
popular tune of "Jimmy Jones."


There is also a website for Casey Jones here (accuracy has not been verified). However, it is immediately apparent that there is a disagreement between the DT entry and this website as to both the year of the crash and the number of the engine.

Roud: 3247 (Search Roud index at VWML)
Laws:
Child:



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