Wreck of the Old 97
(G B Grayson & Henry Whittier)
They gave him his orders in Monroe Virginia
Sayin’ Steve you’re way behind time
This is not 38, this is ol’ 97
You must put her into Spencer on time
He turned around and said to his black greasy fireman
Better shovel on a little more coal
And when we cross that White Oak Mountain
You can watch 97 roll
It’s a mighty rough road from Lynchburg to Danville
With the line on a three-mile grade
It was on that grade that he lost his airbrakes
You can see what a jump he made
He was goin’ down the hill makin’ 90 miles an hour
When the whistle began to scream
They found him in the wreck with his hand on the throttle
He’d been scalded to death by the steam
A Telegram came from Washington station and this is how it read
The brave engineer who ran 97 is lying in Danville dead
So come all you ladies, you must take warnin’
From this time on and learn
Never speak harsh words to your true lovin’ husbands
They may leave you and never return
“...Casey Jones you better, watch your speed.”