Let It Rock
Railroad Blues: Journey of Heartache and Hope
Lyrics
In the evening of the day down in Mobile, Alabama,
In the evening in Mobile, Alabama, the narrator sets the scene for the story.
Working on the railroad with the steel driving hammer.
The narrator is engaged in manual labor on the railroad, using a steel driving hammer.
Gotta get some money, buy some brand new shoes,
The narrator expresses the need for money to buy new shoes, indicating a desire for improvement.
Gotta find somebody, got to lose these blues.
The narrator seeks companionship to overcome feelings of sadness or loneliness.
"She don't love me" hear me singing in the sun,
The narrator hears himself singing that the person he loves doesn't reciprocate his feelings.
She better leave me 'til my work is all done.
The narrator suggests that the person should leave him alone until he finishes his work.
In the evening of the day, when the sun is sinking low,
Reiterating the evening setting, with the sun sinking low, possibly signaling the end of the workday.
All day I been waiting for the whistle to blow.
The narrator has been waiting all day for the work whistle to blow, indicating anticipation.
Sitting in a teepee built out on the track,
The narrator is sitting in a teepee, a temporary shelter, constructed on the railroad tracks.
Rolling bones 'til the foreman comes back.
The narrator is engaged in a game of chance (rolling bones) while waiting for the foreman's return.
Pick up you belongings boys and scatter about,
The foreman instructs the workers to pick up their belongings and disperse, possibly due to an impending danger.
We've got an off-schedule train comin' two miles out.
There is an off-schedule train approaching, creating urgency and potential danger.
Everybody's scrambling and running around,
Amid the chaos, workers are frantically gathering their money before dismantling the teepee.
Picking up their money, take the teepee down.
The foreman is anxious and panicking, possibly due to the imminent arrival of the off-schedule train.
Foreman wants to panic, 'bout to go insane,
The foreman is trying to get workers out of harm's way, fearing the train's approach.
Trying to get the workers out the way of the train.
The foreman is struggling to control the situation and prevent potential disaster.
Engineer blowin' his whistle loud and long,
The train's engineer signals with a loud and long whistle, indicating the unstoppable nature of the train.
He can't stop the train, gotta let it roll on.
The train cannot be stopped, and it must continue its course, emphasizing the inevitability of certain events.
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