Casey Jones' Dream Poem by Kevin Scanlon

He was born in Missouri when the Civil War was on
And moved to Cayce, Kentucky, as a boy
He was nicknamed for the little railway town
And his wooden train was by far his favorite toy.

Casey Jones' dream was to be a good engineer
To make the iron horse move people and freight
To never be late and face his task without fear
But he never knew he'd wrestle with the cruel hand of fate.

At fifteen he telegraphed for the M&O line
And was driving for the I.C. by twenty-seven
He married and settled down in Jackson, Tennessee
Had three children and thought he was in heaven.

Casey Jones' dream was to be a good engineer
To make the iron horse move people and freight
To never be late and face his task without fear
But he never knew he'd wrestle with the cruel hand of fate.

(Bridge)
And people would awaken to his famous whistle's moans
Turn over in their beds saying 'There goes Casey Jones'
And everyone could tell when Fireman Webb rang the bell
That a big eight-wheeler was rolling into town for a spell.

Then one rainy Mississippi night his whistle screamed
By dawn people knew what a true hero could do
When lives were at risk near the town of Vaughan
He chose to die at the brakes of his ole three-eighty-two.

Casey Jones' dream was to be a good engineer
To make the iron horse move people and freight
To be alert to danger however things appear
But he never knew he'd wrestle with the cruel hand of fate
And he never knew someday he'd be called great.