Last thing I remember about my daddy
Before he left he bought me a little toy train
And I remember smiling at him sadly
Then before he turned to walk out in the rain

He said, son, I'm
Gonna ride a big toy train
Round the world and back again
But Mama, when is Daddy coming back?

She said, son, he's
Gonna ride a big toy train
And he'll be back again
Just as soon as Daddy runs outta track

I spent my boyhood days growing up without him
Most of my time I spent looking down the track
And every day I'd ask my mom about him
Mama, ain’t he had time to make it back?

She said, son, he's
Riding on a big toy train
Round the world and back again
But Mama, when is daddy coming back?

She said, son, he's
Riding on a big toy train
And he'll be back again
Just as soon as Daddy runs out of track

Every day I hear that whistle blowing
And every day I'd watch my mamma turn grey
And I was almost grown when she started goíng
And it cheered her up before she passed away

I said, Mom, he’s
Riding on a big toy train
Round the world and back again
But son, when is Daddy coming back ?

I said, Mom, he’s
Riding on a big toy train
And he’ll be back again
Just as soon as Daddy runs out of track

But Mamma knew that Daddy wasn't coming back