Last Ride

In the Dodge City yards of the Santa Fe stood a freight made up for the East

And the engineer with his oil and waste was grooming the great iron beast

While ten cars back in the murky dust a boxcar 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 clicked to his fiery steed

Ten cars back in the empty box the hobo rolled a pill

The flare of the match showed his partner's face stark white and deathly still

As the train wheels clicked on the coupling joints a song for the rambler's ear

The hobo talked to the still white form his pal for many a year

For a mighty long time we've rambled Jack with the luck of men that roam

With the backdoor steps for a dining room and a boxcar for a home

We dodged the bulls on the Eastern route and the cops on the Chesapeake

We traveled the Leadville narrow gauge in the days of Cripple Creek

We drifted down through sunny Cal on the rails of that old SP

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 right

Well I'm keepin' my promise to you pal cause I'm takin' you home tonight

I haven'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 that fever got you Jack and the doctor he just wouldn't come

He was too busy treatin' wealthy folks to doctor a worn out bum

As the train rolled over its ribbons of steel straight to the East it sped

The engineer in his highcab seat kept his eyes on the rails ahead

While ten cars back in the empty box a lonely hobo sighed

For the days of old and his pal so cold who was takin' his last long ride