Jessie Clay and the 12:05
By John Anderson
Written By Gary Sefton
Album: I Just Came Home To Count The Memories (1981)
Tabbed By Larry Mofle
11/7/20124



Drop D tuning


     A              G                         D                   A
In a 2 room trailer down by the tracks on the edge of a Tennessee town
G          D                         C                D  
Jesse Clay lived with his lady and a one eyed Redbone hound
    D              A           G                 D
And every night at 12:05, he'd hear that whistle whine
    D                                         C            D
And Jesse knew the train from Chattanooga was comin' by on time

    A                              G                      D
And we all knew old Jesse Clay got mean when he drank too much
    A            G                     C              D 
And Jesse's lady wore the scars of his not too gentle touch
    D                 A                       G                   D
And Jesse knocked her down one night just for bustin' a bottle of gin
    D                                           C             D
She hit her head when she hit the floor and she never got up again

    A              G                    D             A 
Now Jesse Clay was crazy scared when he saw her lyin' still
   G             D                  C                  D    
He took his lady in his arms and he carried her up the hill
     D                  A                      G                 D  
He's laid her down on a railroad track just an hour ahead of the train
    D                            C                D
And Jesse knew that soon the 12:05 would take the blame

            A                                         G                    D
And then he went to town and he waited around till he thought the time was right
       A                    G         C               D 
And he told the law how the 12:05 had taken his ladys life
    D                       A                    G                           D  
The sherriff just looked at Jesse hard, said you better tell the truth this time
            D                                 C               D
Because the 12:05 just jumped the track about 10 miles up the line

    A                 G                   D                     A
And no one knows what caused the train to leave the tracks that night
   G                D                    C                D
It never happened before or since but it served old Jesse right
D                      A                         G              D 
You can still hear the train whistle whine as it passes by this way
        D                         C               D
But the 12:05 won't ever take the blame for Jesse Clay

        D                         C               D   
No, the 12:05 won't ever take the blame for Jesse Clay