Well I don't care about my sorrows And I don't care about my woes I put my knees down in the sand Down where that river flows I put my hands in the water Look for my elbows in the cold I let it wash my dirty face Let it clense my troubled soul Well, my name is Hub Cale And my home is whereever I lay And I was born to ride the rails Ride the rail til judgement day My face is wrinkled and weary As rough as railroad tie And when that train come rumblin' through this town I lift my jug to the sky
Oh lord Well, I lift my jug to the sky And when that number 9 come rollin' by I lift my jug to the sky For I was an engineer I made my livin' shovelin' coal Paid my dues for 12 long years Then one day they let me go And that time it sure was rough And the labor sure took its toil For my lungs are as black As the feathers of the crow Now I lay underneath the trestle With my jug of homemade rye And when that train come rumblin' through this town I lift it up to the sky