(Kristofferson) I played the Red River Valley And he'd sit out in the kitchen and cry An' run his fingers through 70 years of livin' An' wonder Lord, as ever, will that drill run dry? We were friends, me an this old man (All) Like desperados waiting for a train Like desperados waiting for a train (Jennings) He's a drifter, and a driller of oil wells And an old-school man of the world He'd let me drive his car when he's too drunk to And he'd wink, and give me money for the girls And our lives were like some old western movie (All) Like desperados waiting for a train Like desperados waiting for a train (Nelson) From the time that I could walk, he'd take me with him To a bar, called the Green Frog Cafe And there were old men, with beer-guts and dominoes Lying about their lives while they play And I was just a kid, they called his sidekick
(All) Like desperados waiting for a train Like desperados waiting for a train (Cash) One day I looked up, and he's pushing 80 And there's brown tobacco stains all down his chin To me he's one of the heroes of this country So why is he all dressed up like them old men? Drinkin' beer and playing Moon in 42 (All) Like desperados waiting for a train Like desperados waiting for a train (Nelson) The day before he died, I went to see him I was grown, and he was almost gone (Cash) So we just closed our eyes and dreamed of supper kitchens And sang another verse to that old song (Jennings spoken) Come on Jack, that son-of-a-gun's a-comin'. (All) Like desperados waiting for a train Like desperados waiting for a train Like desperados waiting for a train Like desperados waiting for a train