If I Had A List
Utah Phillips
Starlight On the Rails
Banjo tuned E, Capo 3, Key A
If I Had A List
A E7
I came into Yuba as soon as I read
A
Of all of those twenty five hoboes found dead
D
I came in to find out if one of the slain
A E7 A
Could have answered to my brother's name,
Chorus:
E7
If I had a list and only knew
A
I'd write down the names and sing them to you
D
And when I got done, I'd sing them again
A E7 A
You'd all know each one had a name
He may be your brother, I just couldn't say;
We hire lots of floaters who work by the day;
Now I see his photo, they might be the same,
But I just can't remember his name.
He stopped for a drink every now and again,
Didn't look no different than hundreds of men;
You know these old bums, they all look the same,
No reason to ask him his name.
He had a room and ran out on the rent,
Hired on a crew, I don't know where he went;
If I knew his boss I might make a claim,
But I forgot to write down his name.
He might have been Shorty, a feller I knew;
We bunked in the empties when the season was through.
You know, I've been thinking, it sure is a shame
I never did ask him his name.
We always abandon the old for the new,
And second-hand people get thrown away, too;
I know it won't help, but still it explains
Why no one remembers their names.
Copyright ©1973, 2000 Bruce Phillips
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