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 rushing roar like you never heard before
Turned the blood to icy water in my veins
As I watched with rising fear something strange was drawing near
And I saw in the clouds ghost trains.

(Ghost trains, ghost trains what a fearful sight)
The Cannonball and No. 9 were racing through the night
Just as they passed me by I heard the engineer cry
Give her coal give her coal shovel it on
You could see the fireman grinning in the engine that was winning
But I knew before the finish they'd be gone.

(Well, he knew before the fisnish they'd be gone.)

You could see the drivers roll as they shovelled on the toll
And the black smoke came pouring 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 No 9 were racing through the night
Just as they passed me by I heard the engineer cry
Give her coal give her coal shovel it on
You could see the fireman grinning in the engine that was winning
As I watched I saw them fade into the dawn.

(As he watched he saw them fade into the dawn...)