it was the army train that took her daddy from her

it was the bible train that took her momma, too

and that high loud whistle made her horse run away

but the straw the broke the camel's back was you

it was the government train that took away her childhood

it was the kkk that took away her past

it was the white man's will that hers be broken

but that barefoot girl could run too fast

because the world's too cold for a girl like that

with a blackfoot soul, and a cowboy hat

everything she loved went down the dragon track

she had a fear of trains

In the beet fields of montana

she's always coming on dead rails

to break the plow and whisper:

"honey, bound to live is bound to fail,"

and in a park in san francisco

her momma shrieks about the lord

and down the dead rails there's an echo

the wind is whistling "all aboard!"

it was the wagon train that took away her country

it was the oil train that took away her land

and she could have been the belle of the ponderosa

but that was not the fat man's plan