In the dark I hear the whistle the rumble of the cars The lonesome midnight flyer past the late night bars Pulling sixty box-cars and heading through our town Tearing up the night with a long lonesome sound It's been a long year since I thought about the train The greyhound and the highway took me where I've been Late at night I hear the sound the humming of the rails The lonesome midnight flyer taking high wind in her sails Here comes the midnight flyer Set your watches by her Wheels rolling coming in on time No one pays her no mind no one hears her crying 'Cept some old man bumming down the line Here comes the midnight flyer tell me how do you know? 'Cause I heard her long whistle moan so soft and low Wheels clicking on the rails in the stillness of the night The engineer's pulling cord until he gets it right She's rolling through the back yards the sleepers in the night On the outskirts of town headlight burning bright And she's pulling sixty box-cars and another railroad bum Who heard her whistle blow and caught her on the run Here comes the midnight flyer Set your watches by her Wheels rolling coming in on time No one pays her no mind no one hears her crying 'Cept some old man bumming down the line