Rock Island Line
Johnny Cash and the Original Tennessee Two Lyrics

Now this here's a story about the Rock Island Line
The song tells a story about a train called the Rock Island Line

Well the Rock Island Line she runs down into New Orleans
This train runs down to New Orleans

There's a big tollgate down there and you know
There is a big tollgate at New Orleans

If you got certain things on board when you go through the tollgate
If you have certain things on board when you go through the tollgate, you don't have to pay anything

Well you don't have to pay the man no toll
You don't have to pay the toll man anything

Well a train driver he pulled up to the tollgate
The train driver pulled up to the tollgate

And a man hollered and asked him what all he had on board and said
A man asked the driver what he had on board

I got livestock
The driver said he had livestock

I got cows
The driver said he had cows

I got pigs
The driver said he had pigs

I got sheep
The driver said he had sheep

I got mules
The driver said he had mules

I got all live stock
The driver said he had all types of live stock

Well he said you're alright boy you don't have to pay no toll
The man said the driver does not have to pay the toll

You can just go right on through so he went on through the tollgate
The driver went through the tollgate without paying anything

And as he went through he started pickin' up a little bit of speed
The driver started to speed up after going through the tollgate

Pickin' up a little bit of steam
The train picked up some steam

He got on through he turned and looked back at the man he said
The driver turned back and told the man something

Well I fooled you
The driver said that he fooled the man

I got pigiron
The driver said that he had pig iron

I got old pigiron
The driver repeated that he had pig iron

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

Rock Island Line it's the road to ride
The Rock Island Line is a good road to travel on

Well if you ride it you got to ride it like you find it
If you ride the train, you have to ride it as it is

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

Looked cloudy in the west and it looked like rain
The weather looked bad with clouds in the west and a potential rainstorm

Round the curve came a passenger train
A passenger train appeared around the corner

North bound train on a southbound track
The train was going the wrong way on the track

He's alright a leavin' but he won't be back
The train is leaving and won't be back

Oh I may be right and I may be wrong
The singer may be right or wrong about something

But you're gonna miss me when I'm gone
People will miss the singer when he's gone

Well the engineer said before he died
The engineer said something before he died

There were two more drinks that he'd like to try
The engineer wanted to try two more drinks before he died

The conductor said what could they be
The conductor asked what drinks the two were

A hot cup of coffee and a cold glass of tea
The two drinks were coffee and tea

Rock Island Line it's a mighty good road
The Rock Island Line is a good road to travel on

Rock Island Line it's the road to ride
The Rock Island Line is a good road to travel on

Well if you ride it you got to ride it like you find it
If you ride the train, you have to ride it as it is

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