Andrew Bird

Railroad Bill

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Railroad Bill Lyrics

Railroad Bill, Railroad Bill
Never worked and he never will
I'm gonna ride Railroad Bill

Well, Railroad Bill was a mighty mean man
Shot the light out of the brakeman's hand
I'm gonna ride that bad Railroad Bill

Well Miss McMillan, she whooped and she squawked
That's my husband for I heard him fall
I'm gonna ride that bad Railroad Bill

Well I went down on Number One
Railroad Bill had just begun
I'm gonna ride Railroad Bill

Well I came back on Number Two
Railroad Bill had just got through
I'm gonna ride Railroad Bill

Well I went down on Number Four
Someone let fly with a forty-four
I'm gonna ride Railroad Bill

Got a thirty-eight special in a forty-five frame
I ain't gonna miss 'cause I've got dead aim
I'm gonna ride that bad Railroad Bill

Well Railroad Bill, rolling down a hill
Lighting cigars with a ten-dollar bill
I'm gonna ride that bad Railroad Bill

Well, Railroad Bill says, Before I die
I'm gonna build a railroad for the bums to ride
I'm gonna ride that bad Railroad Bill

Submitted by

songmeanings On Nov 03, 2012

Fake Palindromes

Armchairs

A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left

Heretics

Imitosis

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treant

2012-11-12 02:09:16

SongMeanings

Submitter

2012-11-03 03:29:23

1 Meaning

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by treant

13y ago

This is based on a folk song about a man named Railroad Bill. According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, Railroad Bill was an armed African-American vagrant who was reported to be riding trains starting around 1895. After some violent encounters with law enforcement officers, Railroad Bill was the target of an increasingly intense manhunt until he was killed in 1896. In the meantime he became something of a folk hero, with stories of him being able to shapeshift into animal form and only being vulnerable to silver bullets, and so on.

Source: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1258

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