When the train pulled in to the station
He rolled up his sleeves, rosined up his bow
He fiddle upside down, Orange Blossom Special
If you want to make a living, you've got to put on a good show
When he smelled the smoke and the cinders
Slicked his hair back, opened up his case
Played Cherokee Fiddle, played for the whiskey
Good whiskey never let him lose his place
He was always there, playing for the miners
Devil's Dream was a tune they all understood
Then he'd go back to Oklahoma
Wait till the trains was a runnin' and the weather was good
When he smelled the smoke and the cinders
Slicked his hair back, opened up his case
Played Cherokee Fiddle, just played for the whiskey
Good whiskey never let him lose his place
Now the Indians, all dressed like cowboys
All the cowboys are puttin' leather and turquoise on
And all the music is sold by the lawyers
And the fools who fiddled in the middle of the stations are gone
Some folks say they'll never miss them
Fiddle screeched like the engine breaks
Cherokee Fiddle, gone forever
Like the music that the whistle on an old locomotive make
When you smell the smoke and the cinders
Slick your hair back, open up your case
Play a little Cherokee Fiddle, just play it for the whiskey, boys
Good whiskey never lets you lose your place
Good whiskey never lets you lose your place
Jack Daniels, never lets you lose your place
He rolled up his sleeves, rosined up his bow
He fiddle upside down, Orange Blossom Special
If you want to make a living, you've got to put on a good show
When he smelled the smoke and the cinders
Slicked his hair back, opened up his case
Played Cherokee Fiddle, played for the whiskey
Good whiskey never let him lose his place
He was always there, playing for the miners
Devil's Dream was a tune they all understood
Then he'd go back to Oklahoma
Wait till the trains was a runnin' and the weather was good
When he smelled the smoke and the cinders
Slicked his hair back, opened up his case
Played Cherokee Fiddle, just played for the whiskey
Good whiskey never let him lose his place
Now the Indians, all dressed like cowboys
All the cowboys are puttin' leather and turquoise on
And all the music is sold by the lawyers
And the fools who fiddled in the middle of the stations are gone
Some folks say they'll never miss them
Fiddle screeched like the engine breaks
Cherokee Fiddle, gone forever
Like the music that the whistle on an old locomotive make
When you smell the smoke and the cinders
Slick your hair back, open up your case
Play a little Cherokee Fiddle, just play it for the whiskey, boys
Good whiskey never lets you lose your place
Good whiskey never lets you lose your place
Jack Daniels, never lets you lose your place
more tracks from the album
From the albums
- Flowing Free Forever (1976)
- The Best of Michael Martin Murphey (1984)
- Buckaroo Blue Grass (2009)
Michael Martin Murphey popular songs
- Maybe This Time
- Wildfire
- Red River Valley
- What’s Forever For
- Renegade
- Little Joe, the Wrangler
- When the Work’s All Done This Fall
- Riders in the Sky
- What Am I Doing Here
- From the Word Go
- Ring of Truth
- Children of the Wild World
- Roses and Thorns
- Let the Cowboy Dance
- Geronimo’s Cadillac
- Tying Knots in the Devil’s Tail
- Harbor For My Soul
- Running Shadow
- Cowboy Logic
- Hearts in the Right Place
- Calico Silver
- The Heart Knows the Truth
- Wild Bird
- Spanish is the Lovin’ Tongue