Song Lyrics

Jose, you ever lived near the railroad track?
Yeah
When I was a little boy back in West Virginia
We lived very close to a railroad track
And I remember I used to dream about them trains
And where they might go
And the people that worked on the trains
And the train made music, it made you feel good
I can remember, sometimes, I could just stand off all by myself
And just get funky listenin' to the train
And I used to pick up a handful of gravels
And throw 'em down on the ground for ties
Yeah, and I'd make up songs, I'd sing

He was a railroad man
Was a railroad man
He was a railroad man
'Til he stepped in front of the railroad train

He rode across the plains
Rode on a fruit freight train
The hauled bananas to Savannah
Wore bandannas made in old Japan

Was a railroad man
He was a railroad man
Was a railroad man
'Til he stepped in front of the railroad train

He used to change his name
To every place he came
Know, his name was Tex when he's in Texas
And Bangor when he went to Maine

And a railroad man
No, he was a railroad man
Was a railroad man
'Til he stepped in front of the railroad train

Used to change his name
To every place he came
You know, his name was Tex when he's in Texas
And Bangor when he went to Maine

Hey, he rode across the plains
Rode on a fruit freight train
They hauled bananas to Savannah
Wore bandannas made in old Japan

And he was a railroad man
He was a railroad man
Was a railroad man
'Til he stepped in front of the railroad train

Used to change his name
You know it was hip to every place he came
His name was Tex when he's in Texas
And Bangor when he went to Maine

Know, he was a good time railroad man
Good time railroad man
Was a railroad man
'Til he stepped in front of the railroad train
Oh yeah

It's alright
Say, you know it's alright
And if you've ever been downtown
You know what I'm talkin' 'bout

You know, he was a good time railroad, road
Good time railroad man
Was a railroad man
'Til he stepped in front of the railroad train

Was hip, he used to change his name
To each and every place he came
Know, his name was Tex when he's in Texas
And Bangor when he went to Maine

Rode across the plains
He rode, he rode on a fruit freight train
They hauled bananas to Savannah
Wre bandannas made in old Japan

Oh, railroad man
A railroad man
A railroad man
Stepped in front of the railroad train

Bill Withers, Melvin Carl Dunlap

The duration of Railroad Man is 6:28 minutes and seconds.