Carter Family - Jim Blakes Message Chords

[Intro]
E
 
 
[Verse 1]
E
Jim Blake your wife is dying
     A              E
Went over the wires tonight
E
The message was brought to the depot
     B7
By a lad all trembling with fright
 
 
[Verse 2]
   E
He entered the office crying
    A                 E
His face was terribly white
E
Send this message to dad and his engine
B7                E
Mother is dying tonight
 
 
[Instrumental]
E  B7 E
 
 
[Verse 3]
E
In something less than an hour
      A                 E
Jim’s answer back to me flew
E
Tell wife I’ll be there at midnight
    B7
I’m praying for her too
 
 
[Verse 4]
  E
I left my son in the office
         A                E
Took the message to Jim’s wife
E
There I found the dying woman
    B7                   E
Was scarce of breath and life
 
 
[Instrumental]
E  B7 E
 
 
[Verse 5]
E
O’er hill and dale and valley
A                  E
Thunders the heavy train
E
His engine is sobbing and throbbing
    B7
And under a terrible strain
 
 
[Verse 6]
    E
But Jim hangs onto his throttle
A                 E
Guiding her crazy flight
E
And his voice cries out in the darkness
    B7                  E
God speed the express tonight
 
 
[Instrumental]
E  B7 E
 
 
[Verse 7]
E
I telephoned the doctor
    A               E
How is Jim’s wife I asked
E
About the hour of midnight
   B7
Is long as she can last
 
 
[Verse 8]
   E
In something less than an hour
    A              E
The train will be along
E
But here I have a message
   B7                     E
Oh god there is something wrong
 
 
[Instrumental]
E  B7 E
 
 
[Verse 9]
E
The message reads disaster
    A               E
The train is in the ditch
E
The engineer is dying
  B7
Derailed by an open switch
 
 
[Verse 10]
    E
And there is another message
   A                  E
To Jim’s wife it is addressed
E
I’ll meet you at midnight in heaven
B7                  E
Wait for the fast express