Tom Russell - East texas red

To the ^FSouth East Texas ^CGulf ^CThere used to ride a brakeman A ^Dmbrakeman double ^Gtough He ^Cworked the town of Kilgore And ^FLongview, twelve miles ^Cdown And the^F travellers all said, little East Texas ^AmRed Was the ^Gmeanest bull a^Cround

^CIf you rode by night or the broad daylight Or the ^Fwintry wind or the ^Csun ^CYou could always see little East Texas Red A-^Dmsporting his smooth running ^Ggun And the ^Ctail got switched down the stems and mains And ^Feverybody ^Csaid That the ^Fmeanest bull on them ^Amshiny irons Was ^Glittle East Texas ^CRed

^CIt was on a cold and a windy old night And a^Flong towards nine or ^Cten ^CA couple of boys on the hunt of a job They ^Dmstood in that blizzardry ^Gwind They were ^Chungry and cold and they knocked on the doors Of the ^Fworking people a^Cround For a ^Fpiece of meat or a ^Amcarrot or spud Just to ^Gboil the stew a^Cround

^CWell, East Texas Red comes down the line And he ^Fswung off that old Number ^CTwo ^CHe kicked their bucket over a bush And he ^Dmdumped out all of their ^Gstew And the ^Ctravellers said, "Little East Texas Red You better ^Fget your business ^Cstraight 'Cause ^Fyou're gonna ride the ^Amlittle black train Just ^Gone year from to^Cday"

^CWell, Red he laughed and he climbs on the bank And he ^Fswings off the side of a ^Cwheeler ^CAnd the boys caught a tanker to Seminole Then ^Dmwest to Ama^Grillo And they ^Ccaught 'em a job of oil field work And they ^Ffollowed the pipeline ^Cdown It ^Ftook 'em a lot of ^Amplaces before The ^Gyear had rolled a^Cround

^CThen on a cold and a windy morning They ^Fcaught 'em a Gulf bound ^Ctrain ^CThey shivered and shook with the dough in their clothes To the ^Dmscrub oak flats a^Ggain With their ^Cwarm suit of clothes and their overcoats on They ^Fwalked into a ^Cstore They ^Fpaid the man for some ^Ammeat and stuff To ^Gboil the stew once ^Cmore

^CThe ties they tracked down that cinder dump 'Til they ^Fcame to the same old ^Cspot ^CWhere East Texas Red, just one year ago Had ^Dmdumped their last stew ^Gpot

^CWell, the smoke of their fire rose higher and higher And old ^FRed come down the ^Cline ^CWith his head down low in the wintry wind He ^Dmwaved old Number ^Gnine And he ^Cwalks on down to the jumble yard Then he ^Fcomes to the same old ^Cspot And ^Fthere was the same two ^Ammen again A^Ground that same stew ^Cpot

^CRed went to his knees and he hollered, "Please, Don't you ^Fpull your trigger on ^Cme ^CI did not get my business straight" But he ^Dmdid not get a ^Gsay 'Cause a ^Cgun wheeled out of an overcoat And it ^Fplayed that old one-^Ctwo And ^FRed was dead when the ^Amother two men Sat ^Gdown to eat their ^Cstew