Oh, Reuben's coming down the track
And he's got his throttle back
And the rails are a-carrying him from home
♪
If the boiler don't bust
Because it's eat up with rust
I'll soon be a long ways from home
♪
If you don't believe I'm gone
Look at the train I'm on
You can hear the whistle blow a thousand miles
♪
I'm a going down the track
I ain't never coming back
And I'll never get no letter from my home
♪
Well the train run so fast
Till I knowed it couldn't last
For the wheels was a burning up the rail
♪
Old Reuben has a wreck
And it broke old Reuben's neck
But it never hurt a hair on my head
♪
Now I'm walking up the track
Hoping I'll get back
I'm a thousand miles away from home
♪
If I ever get back to you
You can beat me black and blue
For I'll never leave my shanty home