Gun Club: "Railroad Bill" (from the "Birth The Death The Ghost" album)
intro = verse
D
Railroad Bill, Railroad Bill
F#m
G
he never worked and he never will
D A D
ride, ride, ride
instrumental = verse
Early one morning, standing in the rain
round the curve come a long freight train
ride, ride, ride
Railroad Bill, so mean and so bad
whupped his mummy, shot around with his dad
ride, ride, ride
instrumental = verse
Railroad Bill a-comin' home soon
killed McMillan by the light of the moon
ride, ride, ride
McMillan had a special train
when he got there it was prayin'
ride, ride, ride
instrumental = verse
Kill me a chicken, send me the wing
they think I'm workin', Lord, I ain't doin' a thing
ride, ride, ride
Kill me a chicken, send me the head
think I'm workin', Lord, I'm layin' in bed
ride, ride, ride
instrumental = verse
Railroad Bill's a mighty bad man
shot the light out right of that brakeman's hand
ride, ride, ride
Got a great long pistol about as long as your arm
I’m gonna shoot everybody ever done me harm
ride, ride, ride
instrumental = verse
Railroad Bill standing on a hill
lightin' cigars with a ten-dollar bill
ride, ride, ride
instrumental = 2 verses
Got a thirty-eight-special on a forty-five frame
how can I miss when I got dead aim
ride, ride, ride
instrumental = 2 verses
Railroad Bill's a mighty bad man
shot the light out right of that brakeman's hand
ride, ride, ride
Gonna drink my whiskey, drink it in the wind
the doctor said it'd kill me but he didn't say when
ride, ride, ride
instrumental = verse
(note: JLP turned this classic folk blues tune into an excessive punk rock song, thereby changing the key by one half note higher and also leaving out the minor chord (he just plays D#,G#,D#,A#,D#). There are several versions around (e.g. by Hobart Smith, Cisco Huston) with different and similar lyrics and so is JLP’s version another variation of the theme, but I’m not able to transcribe exactly his words. So here is an extended version by Rambling Jack Elliot with the original chords, which provides a sufficient collection of verses as used also throughout other versions)