Come and gather all around me, listen to my tale of woe
Got some good advice to give you, lotta things you oughta know
Take a tip from one who travelled, never start to ramble around
You're liable get the wandering fever, never want to settle down
Met a little boy in Frisco, I asked him if he had a wife
Told him I was tired of rambling, I wanna settle down for life
Then I heard the whistle blowin', I knew it was the Georgia train
I left him standing by the railroad, I'll never see that man again
Wandered all around this country, had to travel everywhere
Been on that old Brakeline railroad, never paid a nickel fare
Been from Maine to California, ended up in Mexico
I wouldn't try to save no money, now I got nowhere to go
Listen to a poor girl's story, listen to the things I say
I hear another train a-coming, and I'll soon be on my way
If you wanna do me a favour, come and lay me down to die
But dig my grave beside the railroad, so I can hear the trains go by