It was early in the fall and a blowin' up a squall
From the trestle you could hear the weirdest moans
With a mighty lonesome cry came a whistle from the sky
And it chilled the very marrow in my bones
Then a loud rushin' roar like you never heard before
Turned the blood to icy water in my veins
As I watched with risin' fear, somethin' strange was drawin' near
And I saw in the clouds ghost trains
(Ghost trains, ghost trains, what a fearful sight)
The cannonball and number nine were racin' through the night
Just as they passed me by, I heard the engineer cry
"Giver her coal, give her coal, shovel it on"
You could see the fireman grinnin' in the engine that was winnin'
But I knew before the finish they'd be gone
(Well, he knew before the finish they'd be gone)
You could see the drivers roll as they shoveled on the coal
And the black smoke came pourin' from the stacks
As they thundered through the sky, I am here to testify
You could hear the wheels a-clickin' on the tracks
Through the smoke and the steam, you could see the headlights gleam
Now I have no proof but still the fact remains
You may doubt it, but I swear there were cinders in my hair
When I saw in the clouds ghost trains
(Ghost trains, ghost trains, what a fearful sight)
The cannonball and number nine were racin' through the night
Just as they passed me by, I heard the engineer cry
"Giver her coal, give her coal, shovel it on"
You could see the fireman grinnin' in the engine that was winnin'
As I watched, I saw 'em fade into the dawn
(As he watched, he saw them fade into the dawn)