The Last Ride-Hank Snow

[ti:The Last Ride] [ar:Hank Snow] [al:The Early Hank Snow Vol.4] [by:] [offset:0] [00:00.00]The Last Ride - Hank Snow [00:03.67]In the Dodge City Yards of the Santa Fe [00:06.47]Stood a freight made up for the east [00:08.46]And the engineer with his oil and waste [00:11.13]Was groomin' the great iron beast [00:13.60]While ten cars back in the murky dust [00:16.15]A boxcar door swung wide [00:18.73]And a hobo lifted his pal aboard [00:21.18]To start on his last long ride [00:23.90]A lantern swung and the freight pulled out [00:26.51]The engine it gathered speed [00:28.10] [00:29.03]The engineer pulled the throttle wide [00:31.40]And clucked to his fiery steed [00:33.79]Ten cars back in the empty box [00:36.55]The hobo rolled uphill [00:38.16] [00:38.94]The flare of the match showed his partner's face [00:41.77]Stark white and deathly still [00:43.48] [00:44.23]As the train wheels clicked on the couplin' joints [00:46.67]A song for the rambler's ear [00:48.50] [00:49.20]The hobo talked to the still white form [00:51.91]His pal for many a year [00:53.60] [00:56.11]For a mighty long time we've rambled Jack [00:58.42]With the luck of men that roam [01:00.75]With the backdoor steps for a dining room [01:03.01]And a boxcar for a home [01:04.91]We dodged the bulls on the Eastern route [01:08.62]And the cops on the Chesapeake [01:10.81]We travelled the Leadville narrow gauge [01:12.93]In the days of Cripple Creek [01:15.82]We drifted down thru sunny Cal [01:18.23]On the rails of that old S P [01:20.91]And of all you had thru good and bad [01:23.64]A half always belonged to me [01:25.89] [01:26.77]You made me promise to you Jack [01:28.77]If I lived and you cashed in [01:31.04]To take you back to the old church yard [01:33.59]And bury you there with your kin [01:35.51]You seemed to know I would keep my word [01:39.00]'Cause you said that I was right [01:41.20]Well I'm keepin' my promise to you pal [01:43.77]'Cause I'm takin' you home tonight [01:46.08] [01:46.79]I haven't the money to send you there [01:49.06]So I'm takin' you back on the fly [01:51.25]It's the decent way for a 'bo to go [01:53.91]Home to the by and by [01:56.10]I knew that that fever had you Jack [01:58.44]And that doctor he just wouldn't come [02:00.55]He was too busy treatin' the wealthy folks [02:02.71]To doctor a worn-out bum [02:04.68] [02:06.02]As the train rolled over it's ribbons of steel [02:08.58]Straight thru to the East it sped [02:10.55] [02:11.10]The engineer in his high cab seat [02:13.13]Kept his eye on the rails ahead [02:15.27] [02:15.95]While ten cars back in the empty box [02:18.17]A lonely hobo sighed [02:19.98] [02:20.77]For the days of old and his pal so cold [02:23.65]Who was takin' his last long ride