The Silverton
(Bill Fries, Chip Davis)

[A train whistle sounds.]

She was born one mornin’ on a San Juan summer
Back in Eighteen an’ eighty an’ one
She was a beautiful daughter of the D.&R.G.
And she weighed about a thousand ton

Well it’s a-forty-five mile through the Animas canyon
So they set ’er on th’ narrow-gauge
She drank a whole lotta water an’ she ate a lotta coal
And they called her the Silverton (Silverton train)

[Chorus]
Here comes the Silverton, up from Durango
Here comes the Silverton, a-shovelin’ coal
Here comes the Silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow!

Well now listen to the whistle in th’ rock-wood cut
On th’ high line to Silverton-town
An’ yer gonna git a shiver when ya check out the river
Which is four-hunnert feet straight down

Take on some water at the Needleton tank
An’ then a struggle up a two-five grade
An’ by the’ time ya git yer hide past the snow-shed slide
You’ve had a ride on the Silverton (Silverton train)

[Chorus]
Here comes the Silverton, up from Durango
Here comes the Silverton, a-shovelin’ coal
Here comes the Silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow!

[Musical interlude. It’s almost jazz.]

[Chorus]
Here comes the Silverton, up from Durango
Here comes the Silverton, a-shovelin’ coal
Here comes the Silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow!

Now down by the station, early in the mornin’
There’s a whole lotta people in line
An’ they all got a ticket on th’ train to yesterday
An’ it’s a-gonna leave on time

Well it’s a-forty-five mile through the Animas canyon
So they set ’er on the narrow-gauge
She drank a whole lotta water an’ she ate a lotta coal
An’ they call ’er the Silverton (Silverton train)

[Chorus]
Here comes the Silverton, up from Durango
Here comes the Silverton, a-shovelin’ coal
Here comes the Silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow!

Here comes the Silverton, up from Durango
Here comes the Silverton, a-shovelin’ coal
Here comes the Silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow!

Here comes the Silverton, up from Durango
Here comes the Silverton, a-shovelin’ coal
Here comes the Silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow!

[Fade out]
Here comes the Silverton, up from Durango
Here comes the Silverton, a-shovelin’ coal
Here comes the Silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow!

Here comes the Silverton, up from Durango
Here comes the Silverton, a-shovelin’ coal
Here comes the Silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow!

The original recording of "The Silverton" was released on the album Black Bear Road. That version can be found on the album C.W. McCall’s Greatest Hits