The F.F.V.
Traditional arrangement by Michael Nesmith

Along came the F.F.V.
The swiftest on the line
She was runnin' down the C&O road
Just twenty-five minutes behind

Runnin' into Sewall
The headquarters on the line
And receivin' very strict orders
From the station right behind

Georgie's mother came to him
Her bucket on her arm
And she said, "My darlin' son,
Be careful how you run,

There's many a man that's lost his life
Just tryin' to make lost time.
But if you run your engine right
You'll get there right on time."

Up the tracks she darted
And into a rock she crashed
Upside down the engine turned
And poor Georgie's head was smashed

His head lay 'gainst the firebox door
And the flames were runnin' high
And he said, "I'm proud to be born for an engineer
With C&O road to die."

The doctor said to Georgie,
"My darlin' boy, be still.
Your life may yet be saved
If it is God's precious will."

"Oh no," cried he, "That will not do.
I'd rather die so free.
I want to die for the engine I love:
One hundred and forty-three."

The doctor said to Georgie,
"Your life cannot be saved."
He was murdered on a railway
And laid in a lonesome grave

And his eyes were covered up with blood
And his eyes they could not see
So the very last words poor Georgie cried
Were, "Nearer my God to thee."

Notes:
This folk song, also known as "Engine 143" and "The Wreck On The C&O",
is based on the events of 23 Oct 1890, when a landslide 3 miles
east of Hinton, West Virginia caused a trainwreck.

The best-known recording of "Engine 143" is by the Carter Family.
For an alternate version of the lyrics, see
  ftp://archive.uwp.edu/pub/music/lyrics/folk/w/wreck_on_the_co