The Carter Family – Jim Blakes Message (Guitar)

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Jim Blake your wife is dying

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Went over the wires tonight

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The message was brought to the depot

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By a lad all trembling with fright

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He entered the office crying

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His face was terribly white

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Send this message to dad and his engine

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Mother is dying tonight

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In something less than an hour

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Jim’s answer back to me flew

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Tell wife I’ll be there at midnight

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I’m praying for her too

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I left my son in the office

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Took the message to Jim’s wife

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There I found the dying woman

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Was scarce of breath and life

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O’er hill and dale and valley

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Thunders the heavy train

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His engine is sobbing and throbbing

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And under a terrible strain

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But Jim hangs onto his throttle

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Guiding her crazy flight

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And his voice cries out in the darkness

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God speed the express tonight

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I telephoned the doctor

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How is Jim’s wife I asked

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About the hour of midnight

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Is long as she can last

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In something less than an hour

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The train will be along

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But here I have a message

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Oh god there is something wrong

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The message reads disaster

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The train is in the ditch

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The engineer is dying

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Derailed by an open switch

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And there is another message

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To Jim’s wife it is addressed

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I’ll meet you at midnight in heaven

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Wait for the fast express