G                      C
Well, they gave him his orders at Monroe, Virginia
        G                        D
Sayin', "Steve you're way behind time
            G                  C
This is not Thirty-Eight it is old Ninety-Seven
         G            D
you must put her into Spencer on time."
Then he turned and said to his black greasy fireman
"Hey, shovel in a little more coal
For when we cross that White Oak Mountain
Watch old Ninety-Seven roll."
It's a mighty rough road from Lynchburg to Danville
with a line on a three mile grade
it was on that grade that he lost his airbrakes
see what a jump he made
He was going down the grade makin' ninety miles an hour
When his whistle broke into a scream
He was found in the wreck, with his hand on the throttle,
scalded to death by the steam
                      
The telegram came from the Washington station
this is how it read
"Oh that brave engineer that run old Ninety-Seven 
is lying in old Danville dead"
So now all you ladies you better take fair warnin'
>From this time on and learn
Never speak harsh words to your true lovin' husband
he may leave you and never return