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Wreck Of The Old ’97 Lyrics by Vernon Dalhart

Old Time Songs: Original 1925-1930 Recordings

1924

[Instrumental Intro]
[Verse 1]
They give him his orders
At Monroe, Virginia
Sayin' Pete "you're way behind time
This is not '38, but it's old '97
You must put her in Spencer on time"
[Verse 2]
He looked 'round an' said
To his black, greasy fireman
"Jus' shove on in a little more coal
And when we cross that wide old mountain
You can watch old '97 roll"
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 3]
It's a mighty rough road
From Lynchburg to Danville
In a line on a three mile grade
It was on that grade
That he lost his air brake
And you see what a jump he made
[Interlude]
*Whistling*
[Verse 4]
He was goin' down grade
Makin' ninety mile an hour
When his whistle broke into a scream *train whistle*
He was found in the wreck
With his hand on the throttle
And a scalded to death with the steam
[Verse 5]
Now ladies you must take warnin'
From this time now and on
Never speak harsh words
To your true love and husband
He may leave you and never return *train whistle*
[Instrumental Outro]
Credits
Vernon Dalhart

Vernon Dalhart

About “Wreck Of The Old ’97” by Vernon Dalhart

Read the complete lyrics to "Wreck Of The Old ’97" by Vernon Dalhart from the album "Old Time Songs: Original 1925-1930 Recordings" in 1924. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Cover, Country.

"Wreck Of The Old ’97" is performed by Vernon Dalhart. from the album "Old Time Songs: Original 1925-1930 Recordings" in 1924 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Wreck Of The Old ’97", explore more songs by Vernon Dalhart using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Wreck Of The Old ’97" is credited to Vernon Dalhart. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Wreck Of The Old ’97" appears on "Old Time Songs: Original 1925-1930 Recordings" in 1924.

Visit the Vernon Dalhart artist page at /artist/vernon-dalhart for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.