I've been riding on this train Drinking whiskey for the pain Just another good old boy going home And every town I see Seems to take a part of me That's a price that you pay when you roam And I lie when I have to And I cry when I can But I die a little slower On the train to Birmingham I got holes in both my shoes And a guitar full of blues A one-way ticket for a remedy It's the same old lonesome song I've been singing all night long Hey porter, are we out of Tennessee? And I cry when I have to And I lie when I can But I die a little slower On the train to Birmingham Every year I ride this train To Alabama in the rain When I get that lonesome feeling in my bones But I never get to Birmingham But getting there is not the plan No, I just like the feel of going home And I lie when I have to And I cry when I can But I die a little slower On the train to Birmingham