I used to be a railroad bum a living on the go   I rode freights from Canada down to Mexico   From sunny Cal to Minnesota where the rippling waters falls   I never seemed to have a dime but I had myself a ball      Singing hi le hi lo, he li le li lo   I used to be a railroad bum   But I'm not anymore      I walked in the Silver Dollar in Reno one night   Dropped a quarter in a one armed bandit the lemons lined up right   Took my winnings then played poker and I won ten thousand more      I used to be a railroad bum   But I'm not anymore   Singing hi le hi lo, he li le li lo   I used to be a railroad bum   But I'm not anymore      When cotton's white in Tennessee and shrimp boats sail in Maine   Peach picking time soon will find me ridin' a Georgia train   'Cause I get restless when I'm still I guess I always will   Want to keep traveling all my life over another hill      Singing hi le hi lo, he li le li lo   I used to be a railroad bum   But I'm not anymore   Singing hi le hi lo, he li le li lo   I used to be a railroad bum   But I'm not anymore