On a cold winter night Not a star was in sight

voice; guitarsCollected by Parler and O'Bryant at Wild Cherry, Ark Mr. Al Bittick Winkelman, Arizona September 3, 1958 Reel 360, Item 7 The Wreck of No. 9 On a cold winter night Not a star was in sight And a north wind was howling down the line, With his sweetheart so dear Stood a brave engineer With his orders to pull old No. 9. He kissed her goodby With a tear in his eye For the joy in his hearthe could not hide The whole world seemed bright When she told him that night That tomorrow she'd be his blushing bride. Well, the wheels hummed a song As the train rolled along, And the black smoke came pouring from the stack, And the headlight agleam Seemed to brighten his dream Of tomorrow when he'd be going back. He sped round the hill And his brave heart stood still For a headlight stood shining in his face, And he whispered a prayer As he threw on the air For he knew this would be his final race. In the wreck he was found Lying there on the ground And he asked them to raise his weary head, As his breath slowly went This message he sent To the maiden who thought she would be wed. "There's a little white home That I bought for our own, And I thought we'd be happy by and by, And I leave it to you, For I know you'll be true, Till we meet at the Golden Gate, goodby."Funding for digitization provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Happy Hollow Foundation