Verse: 
Dm                               C 
    It was April 27 in the year of ninety-one 
               Am                                           Dm 
    Bout a mile below the surface and the warm kentucky sun 
                                                        C 
    The late shift was ending and the early shift was late. 
           Am                                       Dm             
    The foreman ate his dinner on a dirty tin plate 
Dm                          C 
Blood on the tracks, blood in the mine,  
Am                                      Dm 
Brothers and sisters what a terrible time.  
                    C 
Old 97 went in the wrong hole,  
            Am                                    Dm 
Now in    mine number sixty there's blood on the coal,  
                             C                       Am 
Blood on the coal, blood on the co-oal.  
 
The slag pits were steamin' it was seven twenty-five,  
Every miner worked the coal face,  
Every one of them alive 
The train came round the corner,  
You could hear the tressel groan,  
But the switcher wasn't listnin' so he left the switch alone! 
 
(Chorus) 
 
The walls began to tremble and the men began to yell,  
You could hear that lonesome whistle like an echo out...well 
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They dropped their picks and shovels and to safety they did run,  
For to stay among the living in the year of ninety-one! 
 
(Chorus) 
 
Now Irishman named Murphy said "I'll stop dat iron horse!"  
As he stood to thrwart it's passage,  
And it crushed him dead of course. 
 
And I hope he hears the irony when e're this tale is told,  
The train that took his life was burning good 
Kentucky coal, Hey! 
Dm                          C 
Blood on the tracks, blood in the mine,  
Am                                      Dm 
Brothers and sisters what a terrible time.  
                    C 
Old 97 went in the wrong hole,  
            Am                                    Dm 
Now in    mine number sixty there's blood on the coal,  
                                                 C    Am  Dm                     
Blood on the coal, blood on the co--o----oal.