One cold winter morning
Draggin' a ball and chain
They let me kiss my darling goodbye
Then put me on a train
I tried to hide the handcuffs
She tried to hide her tears
I tried to paint a picture
That would last for ninety years
The engineer blew his whistle
It made a mournful sound
The conductor hollored "all aboard"
I soon was prison bound
Standin' on the platform
I watched her wave goodbye
It's hard to see through coal black smoke
And blue tears in your eyes

Black smoke from the train
And blue tears fallin' down
It was the white smoke from my pistol
That brought the gambler down
I didn't mean to kill him
Why did he have to die
Then there'd be no coal black smoke
Or blue tears in my eye

Seems like a hundred years have passed
Since that sad sad day
I guess by now she's forgotten me
Since I been away
Lookin' through the bars tonight
Dark clouds in the sky
Reminds me of that coal black smoke
And blue tears in my eyes

Black smoke from the train
And blue tears fallin' down
It was the white smoke from my pistol
That brought the gambler down
I didn't mean to kill him
Why did he have to die
Then there'd be no coal black smoke
Or blue tears in her eye