Well, they give him his orders
At Monroe, Virginia
Saying, "Steve, you're way behind time
This is not thirty-eight
This is old ninety-seven
You must put her into Spencer on time"
Then he turned around and said
To his black, greasy fireman
"Shovel on a little more coal
And when we cross
That White Oak mountain
Watch old ninety-seven roll"
But it's a mighty rough road
From Lynchburg to Danville
In a line on a three mile grade
It was on that grade
That he lost his air brakes
See what a jump we made
He was going down a grade
Making ninety miles an hour
His whistle broke into a scream
He was found in the wreck
With his hand on the throttle
Scalded to death by the steam
Then a telegram come
To Washington station
And this is how it read
"Oh, that brave engineer
That run ol ninety-seven
Is lying in old Danville dead"
So now all you ladies
You'd better take a warning
From this time on and learn
Never speak harsh words
To your true-loving husband
He may leave you and never return