Blind Dog Radio

Talkin' Casey by Mississippi John Hurt

Talkin' Casey - Mississippi John Hurt; Spanish, slide. Spoken, with incidental singing, as indicated.

Casey Jones was an old engineer. We sing about him, while ago,
we gonna talk about him little after a bit, now.

When he was out engineering one morning, his wife didn't want him to go.
I guess she must've felt that something was gonna happen.
She called him, while he stepped in the cab, like this:
(Slide)--(Sung) "Casey, don't leave me here. Casey Jones,
please don't leave me here."

Little children commenced hollerin' and cryin',
(Slide)--(Sung) "Daddy, don't leave us here."

He couldn't stand that, he told his fireman, he said,
"Get the bell, let's go." I heard the bell, something like this. (slide)

Shortly after that, I hear a drive wheel,jumpin' over the joints,
the railroad joints, something like this. (guitar plays rhythm)

On up the road, they run up on some sheep,blowed for 'em to get off the track,
but they wouldn't get off, he had to stop his train and run 'em off.
Here's the way his whistle was blowin'. (slide)
I heard him when he's cuttin' down, run 'em off the track. (slide)

Made him sort of mad, 'cause he had to stop his train,
he commenced cursin' and here's what he said. (slide)
I hope you all know what he's sayin.

Throw him a little behind time, commenced runnin' pretty fast,
looked like them big drive wheels and little truck wheels
tryin' to catch up with each other. (guitar plays rhythm)

People all got scared, "Now I wonder, he's gonna make a wreck.",
commenced singin', "Lord have mercy, save me, Lord." (slide)
(Singing, with slide) Lord, have mercy
Oh, Lord, (slide finishes line)
Lordy, have mercy
Save (slide finishes line)
Oh, save me, Jesus
Oh, save (slide finishes line)
Um, save me, Jesus
Save (slide finishes line)