Oh the railroad keeps rolling through the mountains and the desert
o'er this continent from sea to shining sea
It carries grain, it carries coal, It carries high fructose corn syrup
Oh, but why why will not it carry me?

When the jobs of all the porters and the brakemen and the firemen 
and the oilers and the helpers have been cut
And we still have a railroad that's owned by private sector
but we subsidize it up the you know what
Then couldn't we at least ... TAKE A RIDE ON IT!?
without getting busted by a bull?
Couldn't we at least hook some passenger cars up
behind the freight train as it takes us for a pull?

Because the Amtrack token has to wait for the freight
at every intersection in the track
Oh it has to go so slowly so that cargo can go faster
so the railroad CEOs can smoke their crack!
Yes, and since we have already paid to subsidize the profits,
how about we get to ride these trains for free?
Oh, no, wait, that's demanding way too much
We'll just grovel at your feet and pay a fee.

Because even when New Orleans was filling up with water,
and some empty Amtrack cars were leaving town,
the coppers wouldn't let the people climb up on the train
because it makes them happy to see people drown.
But couldn't we at least get some railworkers hired
to staff these cars as they go to and fro?
Oh, no, wait, that's demanding way too much
Just forget I brought it up, or tell me no.


Uncle Sammy said to Mexico, "You must agree to NAFTA,
'cause I really want to sell you lots of grain!
So sign right here and buy it, or once more I might invade you.
Oh, and also, you must privatize your trains,
So the Kansas City Southern Line can buy them all up from you
and fire all your railworker crews!
No, you can't have passenger trains in your country,
because gringos might decide to want them too!"

Yeah, but couldn't we at least TAKE A RIDE ON IT!?
I know the bosses laugh and tell us "Nay!"
But last night I was thinking just how awesome it will be
the day we all decide to ride it anyway!
What if a bunch of people from Detroit to Seattle,
Atlanta, New Orleans and Santa Fe
decided by the thousands to go down to the railroad 
and climb up on the freight on the same day?

What if we took this action in the middle of the daylight
with news cameras buzzing all around?
And when the coppers told us to desist or to be busted
we just all refused to yield and stood our ground
until the tracks were blocked all over Turtle Island
until the trains would move the people too,
so that even when the price of gasoline goes through the ceiling
you can visit me and I can visit you!

And the railroads were all compelled to pay the reparations
to the native folks whose homelands they traverse
And the whole situation in my head was looking better
every time that I thought up another verse!
And then I woke up, under capitalism,
and everything still sucked like it does now!
So we might have to fight for the means of our production.
And I just sang you some lyrics about how.

The Railroad Keeps A'Rollin'

 This is "Desert Rat", also known as Leith Kahl (with a banjo).