The Downbound Train

A stranger laying on a bar room floor
Had drank so much he couldn't drink no more
He fell asleep inside his worried brain
And dreamt he rode on a down bound train

The engine with blood was sweaty and damp
Brilliantly lit with a brimstone lamp
And for fuel there was skin and bone
And the whistle sang with a thousand moans

The parlour was filled with the sweat of fear
The Devil himself was the engineer
The passengers were most a motley crew
Some of them strangers and others he knew
Wealthy old men brought poor babies in rags
Handsome young ladies and wicked old hags

Wider and wider the country grew
Faster and faster the engine flew
Louder and louder the thunder crashed
Brighter and brighter the lighting flashed
Hotter and hotter the air became
Till their clothes were burned with each quivering flame
Harder and harder they gasped for air
Haha!!! said the Devil we're nearing there
The train rushed on at a terrible pace
Sulphuric fumes burned their hands and faces
Oh how the passengers screamed in pain
Begging old Satan to stop that train

The stranger awoke with a terrible cry
His clothes wet from sweating and his hair standing high
He fell to his knees on the bar room floor
And prayed a prayer like never before

And Lord his prayers were not in vain
For he never rode on a down bound train