Well, they give him his orders at Monroe, Virginia
Sayin', «Steve you’re way behind time
This is not Thirty-Eight, this is old Ninety-Seven
You must put her into Spencer on time»
Then he turned and said to his black greasy fireman
«Shovel in a little more coal
And when we cross that white oak mountain
Watch old Ninety-Seven roll»
But 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
See what a jump he made
He was going down the grade makin' ninety miles an hour
His whistle broke into a scream
He was found in the wreck, with his hand on the throttle
A-scalded to death by the steam
Then a telegram come to Washington station
And this is how it read
«Oh that brave engineer that run old Ninety-Seven
He’s a-lyin' in old Danville dead
So now all you ladies you better take a-warnin'
From this time on and learn
Never speak harsh words to your true lovin' husband
He may leave you and never return