Waiting For A Train

Lyrics: Jimmie Rodgers
Music: Jimmie Rodgers

Sung by Ramblin' Jack Elliott with Old And In The Way on 4 November 1973. The lyrics below are taken from Ramblin' Jack's version (recorded under the title "All Around The Water Tank")

All around the water tank, waiting for a train
A thousand miles away from home, sleeping in the rain
I walked up to a brakeman just to give him a line of talk
He said "If you got money, boy, I'll see that you don't walk
I haven't got a nickel, not a penny can I show
"Get off, get off, you railroad bum" and slammed the boxcar door

He put me off in Texas, a state I dearly love
The wide open spaces all around me, the moon and the stars up above
Nobody seems to want me, or lend me a helping hand
I'm on my way from Frisco, going back to Dixieland
My pocket book is empty and my heart is full of pain
I'm a thousand miles away from home just waiting for a train

Recordings
None with Jerry Garcia. Ramblin' Jack Elliott's version is on his CD "Ramblin' Jack". There's also a version by Dickey Betts on "The Songs Of Jimmie Rodgers: A Tribute" which also has the Garcia/Grisman version of "Blue Yodel #9."

Further Information
For more information on recordings see Matt Schofield's Grateful Dead Family Discography