The Hobo's Last Ride Poem by Bonnie Elizabeth Parker

Bonnie Parker wrote this folk poem, credited to A. L. Kirby late 19th century, from memory with some substitutions, into her bank book from The First National Bank Of Burkburnett Texas, along with 9 other poems, during her stay in the Kaufman County Jail in 1932.

Bonnie changed the original line of ''The Engineer with his oil and waste'' to her substitution of ''The Engineer with his coal and oil'', probably because she did not understand the meaning of ''waste''. Waste were the oil soaked rags used to wick oil to old style plain bearings.


01:
In the Dodge City yards of the Santa Fe
Stood a ''freight'' made up for the East
The Engineer with his coal and oil
Was grooming his iron beast

02:
While ten cars back in the murky dust
A box car door swung wide
And a hobo lifted his ''pal'' inside
To start on his last long ride

03:
A lantern swung and the freight pulled out
The Engine gathered speed
The Engineer pulled the throttle wide
And clucked to his iron steed

04:
While ten cars back in an empty box
The hobo rolled a ''pill''
And the flaring match showed his partners face
Stark white and deathly still

05:
The train wheels clicked on the coupling joints
The song for the ''ramblers'' ears
And the hobo talked to the still white ''form''
His ''pal'' for many a year

06:
For a mighty long time we've rambled Jack
With the luck of men that roam
With the back door steps for a dining room
And the box car for a home

07:
We dodged the ''Bulls'' on the eastern route
And the Laws on the Chesapeake
We travelled the Leadville Narrow Gauge
In the days of Cripple Creek

08:
We drifted down through sunny Cal
On the rails of the old S.P.
Of all you had through good and bad
A half always belonged to me

09:
You made me promise Jack
If I lived and you ''cashed in''
To take you back to the old grave yard
And bury you there with your kin

10:
You seemed to know I would keep my word
For you said that I was ''wise''
Well I'm keeping my promise to you ''pal''
Cause I'm taking you home to night

11:
I hadn't the money to send you there
So I'm taking you back on the ''fly''
It's the decent way for a ''Bo'' to go
Home to the by and by

12:
I knew that fever had you Jack
And that doctor just wouldn't come
He was too busy treating the wealthy folks
To doctor a worn out ''bum''

13:
As the train rolled over it's ribbon of steel
Straight through to the East it sped
The Engineer in his high cab seat
Kept his eyes on the rails ahead

14:
While ten cars back in the empty box
The lonely hobo sighed
For the days of old and his ''pal'' so cold
Who was taking his last long ride

END