Traditional

Jackie was a punk around the age of 27
When he thought he'd give his bad blood a run.
He stole a silver dollar, spat a curse upon his pa,
And off he set a-carryin' his gun.

This Jack he was known around the town of Carson Gap
As bein' a wild and wooly man.
When he'd pick up an order of whiskey double shot,
It was: Stand there with a fair and tremblin' hand.

Chorus:
And the sound of a train in the cold of the night
Is a sound that tears at my soul.
For whenever I hear a train whistlin' down,
I remeber Jack Dringo.

Jack was gettin' mean and liquored, and his bar bill was unpaid
When he saw my little Peggy at the door.
I swore if he took another step towards my gal,
I'd stretch him out and lay him on the floor.

Chorus

There are those who do not blame me for doin' what I done,
But the sherrif he's a-lookin' to the law.
When that Jack was a-makin' for my Peggy at the door,
I blasted out his brains and watched him fall.

Chorus

Now the rest of my story does not have to be told.
It's a story of a man on the run.
Every time I hear a train a-movin' further on,
I know this cursed chase is almost done.

Chorus