Matt Smith, Best Switcher

Lyrics

[Verse 1] Matt Smith knew the yard by heart, Every switch and signal, every starting cart. With a lantern in his hand and a grin that said, “All right,” He could line a dozen cars before the end of night. The old heads watched him work, the rookies watched him learn, He’d call the move so smooth you’d miss the couplers turn. When the morning crew came in and asked how it all went, Matt just shrugged and said, “Well, boys, you won’t believe where I’ve been.” [Chorus] Matt Smith, best switcher on the railroad, Knows every track and every tale worth telling. He’s got a story for the break-room table, And another one that gets taller by the telling. Matt Smith, when the yard gets tangled, He’s the steady hand who gets it rolling right. Then he’ll laugh and say, “You should’ve seen it,” And keep the whole crew listening half the night. [Verse 2] He once chased a runaway handcart past the water tower, Caught it with a boot and a lunch pail in an hour. Says a goose took charge of track seven in the rain, Made a whole string of boxcars back right up again. There was the night a tumbleweed got wedged beneath a wheel, Matt swears it took three foremen and a crowbar made of steel. The details change a little when the coffee pot is low, But every time he tells it, there’s a bigger gust of snow. [Chorus] Matt Smith, best switcher on the railroad, Knows every track and every tale worth telling. He’s got a story for the break-room table, And another one that gets taller by the telling. Matt Smith, when the yard gets tangled, He’s the steady hand who gets it rolling right. Then he’ll laugh and say, “You should’ve seen it,” And keep the whole crew listening half the night. [Bridge] One night the radio crackled, the whole yard held its breath, A line of cars stood waiting while the rain came pouring left. Matt read the board, called each move, calm as Sunday tea, And had them lined and rolling before the clock struck three. The crew said, “That one’s true, we saw it with our eyes.” Matt said, “Good—now let me tell you about the train that learned to fly.” [Final Chorus] Matt Smith, best switcher on the railroad, Knows every track and every tale worth telling. He’s got a story for the break-room table, And another one that gets taller by the telling. Matt Smith, when the yard gets tangled, He’s the steady hand who gets it rolling right. Raise a mug to the king of the switchyard— We’ll be hearing that one again tomorrow night. [Outro] Matt Smith knows the railroad, every signal, every line. Ask him how the shift went—he’ll be done by closing time.