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WRECK OF THE OLD 97 (THE WRECK OF THE SOUTHERN OLD 97) Sung by: Roland Taylor, with George T. Jones, Matt Darnell, and Ernest Bruce, instrumental Recorded in Poughkeepsie, AR 9/8/61 Click here to listen to the original recording Saying, “Steve, you’re way behind time. This is not 38, but it’s old 97; You can put her into Spencer on time.” Well, he turned around and said to his big greasy fireman, “Hey, shovel on a little more coal, And when we cross that wide old mountain, You can watch old 97 go.” It’s a mighty rough road from Lynchburg to Danville, On a line of a three-mile grade. It was on that grade that he lost his . . . You see what a jump that he made. He was going down the grade, making ninety miles an hour, And his whistle broke into a scream. He was found in the wreck, his hand on the throttle, And was scalded to death by the steam. Come, all you ladies, you’d better take a warning From this time on and learn, Never speak harsh words to your true love or husband; They may leave you and never return. Also found in Randolph, Vol. IV, #683, “The Wreck of the Southern Old 97”; Brown, Vol. II, #217, “The Wreck of the Old Ninety-Seven.” |
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All Songs Recorded by John Quincy Wolf, Jr., unless otherwise noted The John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection Lyon College, Batesville, Arkansas Back to the Song Index Back to the Wolf Collection Homepage ©Copyright 2002 Lyon College |