Where does an old time river man go After he's passed away Does his soul still keep a watch on the deep For the rest of his river days Does he then come back as a channel cat Or the wasp that lied on the wheat Or the birds that fly through summer sky Or the fish swimmin' under the key Where does an old time pilot go After he stood his last watch Does he fall by the ear of the man who steers Sayin' Hold her on that notch There's a gentle sneeze in the river breeze It's sayin' Son I'm goin' to bed And the light that [?] and go off in the night Or was it fireflies instead Where does an old time engineer go After he's cooled her down Gone up the hill to never come back On the quiet side of town Does his soul live on in the engine's soul While the striker checks the gears Is he still afloat on an old steam boat After he's gone from here