Rock Island Line
The Lonnie Donegan Group Lyrics

Now this here's a story about the rock island line
Let me tell you a tale about the famous Rock Island Line.

Well the rock island line, she runs down into New Orleans
The Rock Island Line goes down south all the way to New Orleans.

There's a big tollgate down there
At the station, there's a big tollgate where passengers have to pay.

and you know if you got certain things on board when you go through the tollgate, well you don't have to pay the man no toll.
If you're carrying certain goods on the train, the tollgate won't charge you a fee.

Well the train driver, he pulled up to the tollgate
As the train approached the tollgate, the driver came to a stop.

and the man hollered and asked him what he all had on board and he said, I got livestock, I got livestock, I got cows, I got pigs, I sheep, I got mules, I got all live stock
The tollgate attendant asked the driver what he had on board and he listed all the live animals.

Well he said you're all right boy, you don't hafta pay no toll, you can just go right on through so,
The attendant let the driver through without charging him since he had the right kind of goods.

he went on through the tollgate and as he went through he started picking up a little bit of speed, picking up a little bit of steam
As the train moved past the tollgate, it started to gather speed and energy.

he got on through and he turned looked back at the man, he said Well I fooled you, I fooled you, I got pig iron, I got pig iron, I got all pig iron
Once the train was through, the driver revealed that he had a different kind of cargo, pig iron, which was exempt from payment.

Now the rock island line shes a mighty good road
The Rock Island Line is an excellent railway system.

rock island line it's the road to ride
It's the ideal route for passengers to travel on.

rock island line shes a mighty good road
Once again, the Rock Island Line is praised for being high quality.

Well if you ride it you gotta ride it like you find it
Passengers have to deal with whatever challenges or experiences they encounter on the journey.

get your ticket at the station for the rock island line
Remember to buy your ticket before boarding the train at the station.

Whoa it's cloudy in the west and it looks like rain, 'round the curve come passenger train
The weather is starting to take a turn for the worse, and a passenger train comes around the bend.

North bound train on a south boud track, he's all right a'leavin', but he won't be back
The train is heading north on a southern track and will only go one way, without return.

Whoa I may be right and I may be wrong, but you're gonna miss me when I'm gone
The singer acknowledges that he may not always be correct, but his presence will be felt when he's no longer around.

Well the engineer said before he died, there were two more drinks that he'd like to try
The engineer requested two new drinks before passing away.

The doctor said what could they be? A hot cup of coffee and a cold glass of tea
The engineer had a simple request, for a hot cup of coffee and a cold glass of tea.

rock island line she's a mighty good road
Once more, the Rock Island Line is praised for its high quality.

rock island line it's the road to ride
It's the best railway route for passengers to travel on.

rock island line shes a mighty good road
One final time, the Rock Island Line is celebrated for its excellence.

Well if you ride it you gotta ride it like you find it
Once again, passengers need to take the journey as it comes and deal with any obstacles encountered.

get your ticket at the station for the rock island line
Always buy your ticket from the station before boarding the train.