2019-01-18 "Miner's Silver Ghost"

The Silver Ghost

Merle Haggard

 

On a cold and rainy night I was sittin' in the light

Oh my switchman shack of mine post on the mountain

The storms were pretty bad and the telephone was dead

But it was just eleven hours till the dawn.

 

Then much to my surprise the telegraph jumped in the light

As I read the code I thought could this be true

The train was on its way headed up to mountain grade

But she didn't have no engineer or crew.

 

At the other switch they tried to put her on the mountain side

But she kept on coming up the mountain grade

But I quickly dowse the light to try to see into the night

Maybe I could spot her headlight in the rain.

 

She was poundin' down below I could hear her whistle blow

And I thought Lord that's a high and mournful sound

Then the telegraph again there's a caving in the mine

And the hundred men have buried neath the ground.

 

Lord, she's coming now I see her round the bend and straight at me

And her ballet is glowin' red as coal in hell

The headlight switchin' wide searchin' all the mountain side

But the only sound she's making it's a wail.

 

Then I recognized the train by the number and the name

It's from miners Silver Ghost 0-40-1

Then she vanished up the track by the lonely switchman shack

Like a mother who was looking for her son.

 

Now I heard the story how an engine went to glory

Over fifty years ago in the same line

It was steaming for the caving there were men needed saving

But it missed the curve in trestle near the mine.

 

And every now and then you'll hear a whistle on the wind

It's from mountain slides where many men're lost

It's a high and lonely wail and searching up and down the mountain

It's the train they call the Miners Silver Ghost.

 

The train they call the Miners Silver Ghost.

The train they call the Miners Silver Ghost...

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR75CFVCaNA

 

Yorkshire ~ www.flickr.com/pinkraynesl , Rayne and PetitChat (139, 246, 2969) - Moderate

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