come and gather all around me listen to my tale of woe got some good advice to give you lots of things you oughta know take a tip from one who s travelled and never stopped a ramblin round cause once you get the roamin fever you never want to settle down boy you never want to settle down i met a little gal in frisco and i asked her to be my wife told her i was tired of roamin goin to settle down for life then i heard the whistle blowin and i knew it was the red ball train and i left that gal beside the railroad and never saw that gal again boy i never saw that gal again saw that gal again i never saw that gal again left that gal beside the railroad i never saw that gal again traveled all over the country i ve traveled everywhere been on every branch line railroad i never paid a nickel fare i been from maine to californy from canada to mexico and i never tried to save no money and now i got no place to go boy now i got no place to go  listen to a boomer s story pay attention to what i say i hear another train a comin guess i ll be on my way if you wanna do me a favor when i lay me down and die just dig my grave beside the railroad so i can hear the trains go by boys so i can hear the trains go by hear the trains go i can hear the trains go by just dig my grave beside the railroad so i can hear the trains go by