The Island
Jerry And Marc Donahue Lyrics

Now this here's a story about the Rock Island Line
Let me tell you a story about the Rock Island Line

Well the Rock Island Line she runs down into New Orleans
The Rock Island Line goes all the way to New Orleans

There's a big tollgate down there and you know
At the end of the line, there's a tollgate

If you got certain things on board when you go through the tollgate
You don't have to pay the toll if you meet certain requirements

Well a train driver he pulled up to the tollgate
A train driver approached the tollgate

And a man hollered and asked him what all he had on board and said
The tollgate worker asked the driver what he was carrying

I got livestock
The driver replied, I have live animals on board

I got livestock
More specifically, cows, pigs, sheep, and mules

Well he said you're alright boy you don't have to pay no toll
The worker let the driver through without toll payment

You can just go right on through so he went on through the tollgate
The driver passed through the tollgate without trouble

And as he went through he started pickin' up a little bit of speed
As he passed through, he gained speed

Pickin' up a little bit of steam
His train began to move faster and faster

He got on through he turned and looked back at the man he said
He passed through the tollgate and turned to the worker

Well I fooled you
He announced that he had tricked the worker by concealing something on board

I fooled you
Specifically, pigiron (a type of iron product)

I got pigiron
He had hidden this material on board without declaring it

I got pigiron
Pigiron is a heavy raw material used in production

I got old pigiron
He wanted to specify that it was not a new batch of pigiron on board

[Chorus]
The song's chorus follows

Down the Rock Island Line she's a mighty good road
The Rock Island Line is a great way to travel

Rock Island Line it's the road to ride
It's the best road to choose for travel

Rock Island Line it's a mighty good road
It's a high-quality road

Well if you ride it you got to ride it like you find it
If you're going to travel on it, you have to be prepared for the unexpected

Get your ticket at the station for the Rock Island Line
You can get a ticket for the Rock Island Line at the train station

Looked cloudy in the west and it looked like rain
The weather looked bad to the west

Round the curve came a passenger train
Suddenly, a passenger train came around the curve

North bound train on a southbound track
The passenger train was on the wrong track and headed in the opposite direction

He's alright a leavin' but he won't be back
The train was leaving, but it won't return

[Chorus]
The chorus repeats again

Oh I may be right and I may be wrong
The singer admits they might not always be correct

But you're gonna miss me when I'm gone
But you'll miss them when they're gone

Well the engineer said before he died
A dying engineer once said

There were two more drinks that he'd like to try
There were two more drinks he wanted to have

The conductor said what could they be
The conductor asked what he wanted to try

A hot cup of coffee and a cold glass of tea
The drinks he wanted to try were a hot coffee and a cold tea

[Chorus]
The chorus repeats one final time