“Prettiest Train,” sung by the work gang led by “22” at the Parchman Farm (the Mississippi State Penitentiary) and recorded by Alan Lomax, 1947-48 or 1959 on Prison Songs: Volume I, Murderous Home

[The lyrics are an approximation that I found online and then edited based on my own faulty hearing. They don’t always translate anyway—I use the lyrics just to parse through the scratchy sound so I can sing along loudly; this song stems from an oral tradition, and is best perpetuated that way.]

Prettiest train that I ever seen, man.
Prettiest train, my Lawd, I ever seen,
Prettiest train, Lawd, ever seen,
I declare, she run down to Jackson, back to New Orleans,
New Orleans, a-New Orleans,
I swear she ran down to Jackson, back to New Orleans.

Mattie, when you marry, marry a railroad man, (3x)
I declare, no ev’y day Sunday, dollar in your hand,
In your hand, in your hand,
I declare now, no ev’y Sunday, dollar in your hand!

Mattie, when you marry, don’t marry no convict man, (3x)
I declare now, ev’y day Monday, hoe handle in your hand,
In your hand, in your hand,
I declare now, ev’y day Monday, hoe handle in your hand.

Prettiest woman that I ever seen, (3x)
I declare now, Rampart Street-a, down in New Orleans,
New Orleans, a-New Orleans,
I declare now, Rampart Street, down in New Orleans!

You go to Jackson just to show your clothes, (3x)
I go to Jackson play them dicin’ holes,
Dicin’ holes, dicin’ holes,
I declare now, I go to Jackson, play them dicin’ holes.

You go to Memphis, don’t you hang around, (3x)
I swear now, polic’ll catch and you’re workhouse bound,
Workhouse bound, workhouse bound,
I swear now, police’ll catch and you’re workhouse bound.