We were flying like Hell down a one-track line Pressing our luck and holding back time Like a naked freight train running all downhill We rode with our Hearts that we couldn’t keep still Uncle Charlie said don’t worry son, I’ve got your back There ain’t but one train from Hell and its right on track He gave me a wink and let that whistle blow He said when we get there we’ll be on the go We roared and we rumbled on a dead man’s run I was so scared of it all I was having fun All through the night we rolled, and we rolled Hoping to God that those rails would hold I said Uncle Charlie you’re quite the engineer You make it look easy, you don’t even steer He smiled and said you just follow the tracks And read the burn from those old smokestacks You shovel the coal like you’re feeding Hell’s fire You follow your dreams with passion, heart and desire
I had a wild dream about my grandfather one time. He worked for the railroad all his life, it was his only job he ever had. He wasn't an engineer but hey this is poetry.