The Wreck Of The Old '97 Lyrics - Hank Snow

They give him his orders at Monroe, Virginia 

Sayin', "Steve you're way behind time 

This is not 38, but it's old 97 

You must put her in Spencer on time" 

Then he looked around and 

Said to his black, greasy fireman 

"Just shovel on a little more coal 

And when we cross that White Oak Mountain 

You can watch old 97 roll" 

It's a mighty rough road 

From Lynchburg to Danville 

In a line on a three mile grade 

It was on that grade that he lost his airbrakes 

Oh, you see what a jump we made 

He was goin' down the grade 

Making 90 miles an hour 

When his whistle broke into a scream 

He was found in the wreck 

With his hand on the throttle 

And was scalded to death by the steam