Jackson jumped a boxcar up the California coast
Nowhere for the track to turn but east
Cheese and wine for supper and a hobo for his host
They shivered in the shadows of the beast
Hobo said to Jackson, “better cover up your cheek
It’s sundown and the western air is dusty
Listen to the whistle, listen to the squeak
It’s the wheel, not the track, that’s rusty”
Lost on a limb, caught on the loose
You ain’t got no eyes behind your head
Lost in a whim, caught in a noose
You can’t stoke the train from the caboose
The engine headed southbound up the Mendicino slope
The breathing of the brakes awoke the men
Jackson bought him breakfast and bottle for the ride
They got to San Francisco before ten
Hobo said to Jackson “I’ve been up and down this line
You can’t sink a ship that’s made of lead
The engine and horizon eventually entwine
You can’t trade a cradle for your bed”
Chorus
The train turned toward Eureka as the fog began to hide
Jackson and the hobo shared the view
Midday mountain moonlight lit their boxcar telescope
Pacific sunlight burned away the dew
Hobo said to Jackson “Keep your spirit on the scene
You can’t see the show behind a post
The river never ceases to carve out the ravine
A hobo always gambles on the coast”
Chorus
Indigohowl 