All around the water tank, waiting for a train A thousand miles away from home, sleeping in the rain I walked up to a brakeman just to give him a line of talk He said "If you got money, boy, I'll see that you don't walk I haven't got a nickel, not a penny can I show "Get off, get off, you railroad bum" and slammed the boxcar door
He put me off in Texas, a state I dearly love The wide open spaces all around me, the moon and the stars up above Nobody seems to want me, or lend me a helping hand I'm on my way from Frisco, going back to Dixieland My pocket book is empty and my heart is full of pain I'm a thousand miles away from home just waiting for a train