Eight Freight Blues by Dave Goulder Lyrics
Smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes. I'm watching the needle falling away in singing the eight freight blues
Now we're running late in the sorry state on 8215
She's overdue for boilerwork and I can't get her to steam
With a thousand tonnes of coal behind and a tender full of slag
My mate's sent me to Coventry but they just won't answer back
Well, smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes. I'm watching the needle falling away in singing the eight freight blues
Across the cab the driver sits and he's staring straight ahead
He's not spoken to me for eighteen months since I started at the shed
He's drawn a line across the cab for each of us to stand
Since he found I'd joined the NUR while he was an ASLEF man
Well, smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes. I'm watching the needle falling away in singing the eight freight blues
I fired her thin and piled it in but still she would not go
When the water dropped I forced a stop on the mainline for a blow
I smashed the clinker, cleaned the fire, tried every trick I know
With a rake and dart, but that old fart blames me for all our woes
Well, smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes. I'm watching the needle falling away in singing the eight freight blues
With a one in sixty climb ahead and the water out of sight
We'll have to stop and blow her up for the second time tonight
The load comes on the engine and the starter's showing green
I'm looking for the banker but no banker's to be seen
Just smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes. I'm watching the needle falling away in singing the eight freight blues
Now, the driver comes from Motherwell, his face I can't abide
He only knows full forward gear with the regulator wide
I can't touch his injector, and mine is short of breath
I wish his balls would turn to bulldogs and bite the sod to death
Smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes. I'm watching the needle falling away in singing the eight freight blues. (X2)
Now we're running late in the sorry state on 8215
She's overdue for boilerwork and I can't get her to steam
With a thousand tonnes of coal behind and a tender full of slag
My mate's sent me to Coventry but they just won't answer back
Well, smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes. I'm watching the needle falling away in singing the eight freight blues
Across the cab the driver sits and he's staring straight ahead
He's not spoken to me for eighteen months since I started at the shed
He's drawn a line across the cab for each of us to stand
Since he found I'd joined the NUR while he was an ASLEF man
Well, smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes. I'm watching the needle falling away in singing the eight freight blues
I fired her thin and piled it in but still she would not go
When the water dropped I forced a stop on the mainline for a blow
I smashed the clinker, cleaned the fire, tried every trick I know
With a rake and dart, but that old fart blames me for all our woes
Well, smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes. I'm watching the needle falling away in singing the eight freight blues
With a one in sixty climb ahead and the water out of sight
We'll have to stop and blow her up for the second time tonight
The load comes on the engine and the starter's showing green
I'm looking for the banker but no banker's to be seen
Just smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes. I'm watching the needle falling away in singing the eight freight blues
Now, the driver comes from Motherwell, his face I can't abide
He only knows full forward gear with the regulator wide
I can't touch his injector, and mine is short of breath
I wish his balls would turn to bulldogs and bite the sod to death
Smoke in my eyes, soot in my hair, cinders in my shoes. I'm watching the needle falling away in singing the eight freight blues. (X2)