Old Thirsty

When I was a just a kid this happened to me
Living on a ranch in southern New Mexico, nest to a railroad
The Sun still had plenty of Jalepeno in it, was late September
Dad and I were working on a water well, soon became three
Like slow moving warmed over death, a old hobo came off the railroad
A sad sight as I remember

He had been walking for 3 days out of El Paso
His lucky penny was worn thin, nothing to eat or drink
He asked Dad, "You have any water Sir, God I am thirsty"
We took him to the ranch, soon he became our best amigo
He was no fool, could make a Harvard professor think
Never really knew his name, we just called him Thirsty

Dad hired him and Mom put plenty of food on his plate
All he asked for was a bed, smokes and coffee
In little or no time he was working all day
Never complained, just dealing with his fate
A bum no, a hobo yes, that was old Thirsty
A King Of The Road type of a man, just his way

He was the big brother I never had, I was the son he left behind
He worked all day long, then play ball with me after school
I learned a lot from that man, a lot about life
Riding in a boxcar was just his kind
His railroad was The Golden Rule
Good as gold and sharp as any knife

Cold nights around an old wood stove with coffee in hand
Telling railroad stories, that is what he taught me
The rules of the road, the hobo way
If I ever had to ride a boxcar around this land
Then one day, Thirsty just had to be free
Boxcar fever set in, Old Thirsty heard the old train that day

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