| I had a job, I had a girl |
| I had something going mister in this world |
| I got laid off down at the lumber yard |
| Our love went bad, times got hard |
| Now I work down at the carwash |
| Where all it ever does is rain |
| Don’t you feel like you’re a rider on a downbound train |
| She just said «Joe I gotta go We had it once we ain’t got it any more» |
| She packed her bags left me behind |
| She bought a ticket on the Central Line |
| Nights as I sleep, I hear that whistle whining |
| I feel her kiss in the misty rain |
| And I feel like I’m a rider on a downbound train |
| Last night I heard your voice |
| You were crying, crying, you were so alone |
| You said your love had never died |
| You were waiting for me at home |
| Put on my jacket, I ran through the woods |
| I ran till I thought my chest would explode |
| There in the clearing, beyond the highway |
| In the moonlight, our wedding house shone |
| I rushed through the yard, I burst through the front door |
| My head pounding hard, up the stairs I climbed |
| The room was dark, our bed was empty |
| Then I heard that long whistle whine |
| And I dropped to my knees, hung my head and cried |
| Now I swing a sledge hammer on a railroad gang |
| Knocking down them cross ties, working in the rain |
| Now don’t it feel like you’re a rider on a downbound train |