The Last Ride-Hank Snow

[ti:The Last Ride] [ar:Hank Snow] [al:The Essential Hank Snow (Deluxe Edition)] [by:] [offset:0] [00:00.00]The Last Ride - Hank Snow [00:03.62]In the Dodge City Yards of the Santa Fe [00:05.95]Stood a freight made up for the east [00:08.52]And the engineer with his oil and grease [00:11.16]Was groomin' the great iron beast [00:13.61]While ten cars back in the murky dust [00:16.12]A boxcar door swung wide [00:18.71]And a hobo lifted his pal aboard [00:21.41]To start on his last long ride [00:24.18]A lantern swung and the freight pulled out [00:26.58]The engine it gathered speed [00:28.96]The engineer pulled the throttle wide [00:31.36]And clucked to his fiery steed [00:34.00]Ten cars back in the empty box [00:36.43]The hobo rolled a pill [00:39.06]The flare of the match showed his partner's face [00:41.67]Stark white and deathly still [00:44.07]As the train wheels clicked on the couplin' joints [00:46.60]A song for the rambler's ear [00:49.18]The hobo talked to the still white form [00:51.69]His pal for many a year [00:54.20] [00:56.03]For a mighty long time we've rambled Jack [00:58.37]With the luck of men that roam [00:59.93] [01:00.87]With the backdoor steps for a dining room [01:03.16]And a boxcar for a home [01:04.84] [01:06.19]We dodged the bulls on the Eastern route [01:08.46]And the cops on the Chesapeake [01:10.03] [01:11.09]We travelled the Leadville narrow gauge [01:12.86]In the days of Cripple Creek [01:14.61] [01:16.12]We drifted down thru sunny Cal [01:17.92] [01:18.47]On the rails of that old S P [01:20.77]And of all you had thru good and bad [01:23.68]A half always belonged to me [01:25.73] [01:26.96]You made me promise to you Jack [01:28.87]If I lived and you cashed in [01:30.52] [01:31.56]To take you back to the old church yard [01:33.59]And bury you there with your kin [01:35.19] [01:36.81]You seemed to know I would keep my word [01:38.77]'Cause you said that I was right [01:40.55] [01:41.19]Well I'm keepin' my promise to you pal [01:43.97]'Cause I'm takin' you home tonight [01:45.74] [01:46.85]I haven't the money to send you there [01:48.69]So I'm takin' you back on the fly [01:50.57] [01:51.16]It's the decent way for a 'bo to go [01:54.21]Home to the by and by [01:55.64] [01:56.60]I knew that that fever had you Jack [01:58.38]And that doctor he just wouldn't come [02:00.08] [02:00.69]He was too busy treatin' the wealthy folks [02:02.70]To doctor a worn-out bum [02:04.49] [02:06.10]As the train rolled over its ribbons of steel [02:08.57]Straight thru to the East it sped [02:11.04]The engineer in his high cab seat [02:13.61]Kept his eye on the rails ahead [02:16.02]While ten cars back in the empty box [02:18.46]A lonely hobo sighed [02:20.99]For the days of old and his pal so cold [02:23.49]Who was takin' his last long ride