Eight Freight Blues

[Chorus]
Smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes
I'm watching the needle falling away and singing the eight freight blues

[Verse 1]
Well, we're running late in a sorry state on 8215
She's overdue for boiler work and I can't get her to steam
With a thousand tonnes of coal behind and a tender full of slag
My mate's sent me to Coventry and they just won't answer back

[Chorus]
Well, smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes
I'm watching the needle falling away and singing the eight freight blues

[Verse 2]
Now, across the cab the driver sits and he's staring straight ahead
He's not spoken to me for eighteen months since I started at the shed
He's drawn a line across the cab for each of us to stand
Since he found I'd joined the NUR while he was an ASLEF man

[Chorus]
Well, smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes
I'm watching the needle falling away and singing the eight freight blues

[Verse 3]
I fired her thin and piled it in but still she wouldn't go
When the water dropped I forced a stop on the mainline for a blow
I smashed the clinker, cleaned the fire, tried every trick I know
With a rake and dart, but that old fart blames me for all our woes

[Chorus]
Smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes
I'm watching the needle falling away and singing the eight freight blues

[Verse 4]
With a one in sixty climb ahead and the water out of sight
We'll have to stop and blow her up for the second time tonight
The load comes on the engine and the starter's showing green
I'm looking for the banker but no banker's to be seen

[Chorus]
Just smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes
I'm watching the needle falling away and singing the eight freight blues

[Verse 5]
Now, the driver comes from Motherwell, his face I can't abide
He only knows full forward gear with the regulator wide
I can't touch his injector, and mine is short of breath
I wish his balls would turn to bulldogs and bite the sod to death

[Chorus]
Well, smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes
I'm watching the needle falling away and singing the eight freight blues
Smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes
I'm watching the needle falling away and singing the eight freight blues