Citizens of Glendale: Do not worry. He is dead.

August 20, 2008 6:33 PM

What are the definitive lyrics to the chorus in the song "A Train Robbery" on Levon Helm's Dirt Farmer album?

I've listened to this song a lot, and done some researching to figure it out, but I can't make out what a few words are and the internet gives conflicting answers even on fairly authoritative sites.
Here's the chorus:

1: But we won't touch that old woman
2: [Incomprehensible] and they claimed
3: They ain't offered no reward
4: For Frank and Jesse James
5: Frank and Jesse James

I hear the last word of line 1 as either 'pullman' or 'woman', the internet gives both, and either will work though I don't know how concerned the James Gang would be with the fate of a pullman porter.

I hear line 2 as "he's/she's Southern and afraid. That may work because showing deference to a Southern woman would be in line for them (or at least their mythos)

posted by Science! to society & culture (3 comments total)

Also if you know, is the opening line of the song "The full moon touched the cold..." or "The foreman touched..."?
posted by Science! at 6:53 PM on August 20, 2008

I hear:

Opening line: "full moon."

#1: "that old Pullman"

#2: "She's Southern and they claimed"
posted by staggernation at 10:26 PM on August 20, 2008

I hear full moon and that old pullman.
It could be she's sovereign, and they claimed:
posted by andrewzipp at 6:53 AM on August 21, 2008