The Panama Limited

This is a song about a train, it's called the Panama Limited
The Panama Limited she's a train runs from
Washington D.C. down on to New Orleans
That train, she's a special streamline, you know, and she's fast
That train is so fast, the hobos don't mess with that train
They just stand by the track with their hat in their hand
I had a girl, she was leaving one morning on that train
She got up singing and crying
She said, "Daddy, hey now I hate to go
Hey, hey, hey, hey"
We were walking on down to Union Depot
Way off in the distance she heard a train whistle blowing
She asked me, "Was that the Panama Limited?"
I said, "No babe, that's a local freight"
She said, "How can you tell?"
I said, "Well, they blow a little bit different"
Local freight, she blows like this
Panama Limited, she blows a little bit more lonesome
Blows a little bit like this
She said, "What time is train time?"
I said, "I don't know nothing about train time, babe
I'm just hanging around trying to make a few dimes"
She got up singing and crying
She said, "Daddy, it's all right the way you turned me down
Hey, Mama ain't got a dime"
She went running on ahead down to Union Depot
And I went running after her to beg forgiveness for the words I'd said
I got down to the bottom of Union Depot steps
I looked up ahead and there she was all the way up on top of the steps
And I called her name
When she heard me call her name, she turned back
And she called back to me over her left shoulder
She said, "Too late, too late, too late, too late
Hey, Mama gonna leave you now"
Just then, just then you hear the Panama Limited
Blowing thirty-six miles out of Memphis, Tennessee
She went running up to the depot agent
She asked him what time train time was
He said, "You go lean your head down on the track, babe
And when you hear the rail popping, you know train time won't be long"
She went over and she leaned her head
Down against this cold steel rail
And she could hear the Panama Limited coming in
She got up singing and crying
She said, "Daddy, I hate to leave my home
Hey, and I believe I'll lose my mind"
I went over to her, you know, and put my arms around her
We stood there for a while
And pretty soon the Panama Limited, she's out on the edge of town
All the way in Union Depot you can hear when the
Engineer's coming down, coming down on a crossing
He cuts down on the air brakes, it sounds like this
My girl, she's up singing and crying
She said, "Daddy, I may never see your face no more
Hey, mama ain't got a home"

Pretty soon out at Panama Lemon
She's coming on into the station
Engineer, he's bringing her in fast, but he's slowing down
Sitting way up high there in the peak seat
He keeps pulling on the bell rope
And the bell keeps on tolling
Sound like this
She's gone everywhere but home