"Railroad Man" lyrics - BILL WITHERS

[Ad Lib]
I was a little boy
Back in West Virginia
We lived very close to a railroad track
And I remember I used to dream about them trains
And where they might go
And the people that worked on the trains
And the train made music
It made you feel good
I can remember sometimes
I could just stand off all by myself
And just get funky list'nin' to the train
And I used to pick up a handful of gravels
And throw 'em down on the ground for ties
Yeah and I'd make up songs
I'd sing

[Chorus:]
He was a railroad man
He was a railroad man
He was a railroad man
'Til he stepped in front of the railroad train.

He rode across the plains
He rode on a fruit freight train
The hauled bananas to Savannah
And wore bandannas made in Old Japan.

[Chorus]

He used to change his name
To every place he came
His name was Tex when he's in Texas
And Bangor when he went to Maine.

[Chorus]

It's all right
Say you know it's all right
If you've ever been downtown
You know what I'm talkin' 'bout