Played once by the Grateful Dead on 11 June 1969 at a concert billed as "Bobby Ace And The Cards From The Bottom Of The Deck." No tape exists, so these are the lyrics from the version recently recorded by Bob Weir with Dan Zanes
From the great Atlantic Ocean to the wide Pacific shore
From the green and flowery mountains to the south belt by the shore
She's mighty tall and handsome, she's known quite well by all
She's a modern combination called the Wabash Cannonball
Listen to the jingle, the rumble and the roar
As she glides along the woodlands, over hills and by the shore
Hear the mighty rush of the engine, hear the lonesome hobo's call
Travelling through the jungles on the Wabash Cannonball
Oh the Eastern States are dandy, so the Western people say
From New York to Chicago, and Rock Island by the way
From the hills of Minnesota where the rippling waters fall
No chances to be taken on the Wabash Cannonball
I rode the IC Limited, also the Royal Blue
Across the Eastern counties on the Elkhorn number two
I rode these highball trains from coast to coast, and that's all
But I have found no equal to the Wabash Cannonball
Here's to Daddy Claxton, may his name forever be
Always be remembered in the courts of Tennessee
His earthly race is over now, the curtains round him fall
They're carrying him home to victory on the Wabash Cannonball
Travelling through the jungles on the Wabash Cannonball