All around the water tank, waitin' 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've got money, I'll see that you don't walk
Well, I haven't got a nickel, not a penny, can I show
He said, "Get off you railroad bum", and he slammed the boxcar door

Well, he put me off in Texas, a state, I dearly love
The wide open spaces all around me, the moon and stars above
Nobody seems to want me, nor to lend me a helping hand
I'm on my way from Frisco headin' back to Dixie Land
My pocketbook is empty my heart is full of pain
I'm a thousand miles away from home, waitin' for a train