[Verse 1]
In the heat of the day down in Mobile, Alabama
Working on the railroad with the steel driving hammer
I gotta make some money to buy some brand new shoes
Tryin' to find somebody to take away these blues
"She don't love me" hear them singing in the sun
Payday's coming when my work is all done

[Verse 2]
Well, in the evening when the sun is sinking low
All day I've been waiting for the whistle to blow
Sitting in a teepee, built it right on the track
Rolling them bones 'til the foreman come back
Pick up you belongings, boys, and scatter about
We've got an off-schedule train comin' two miles about

[Verse 3]
Well, everybody's scrambling and they're jumping around
Picking up their money, tearing the teepee down
The foreman wants to panic, 'bout to go insane
Tryin' to get the workers out the way of the train
Engineer blowing the whistle loud and long
Can't stop the train, they have to let it roll on