Topic: Train and railroad songs

[Emma Lee]

KC King (a.k.a. Mr. Emma Lee) and I have been thinking about railroad and train songs. There are quite a lot of them in country blues, and I find them to be some of the most beautiful, nostalgic, goosebump-inspiring tunes.

Trains were things of grandeur that brought or took away your baby, that took you to or away from home, or that were your only home. Railroads were things you worked on as a laborer or prisoner or at any of various jobs. Some trains or people -- or wrecks -- were the stuff of stories and legends.

In country blues there are some beautifully evocative train-like sounds. Rhythmically there are the rumbly sounds and the clickety and shuffley sounds. Melodically, there are bluesy whistles (a classic train steam whistle plays a diminished chord, and the whole chord bends together) as well as bells and calls and shouts.

Here are some nice train and railroad songs (versions in KC's collection):?

Freight Train (Elizabeth Cotten)
Railroad Bill (Etta Baker)
KC Railroad Blues (Andrew and Jim Baxter)
KC Moan (Memphis Jug Band)
Big Railroad Blues (Cannon's Jug Stompers)
Wreck of the Old 97 (Pink Anderson & Rev. Gary Davis)
Railroadin' Some (Henry Thomas)
How Long (Brownie McGhee)
Southbound Train (Big Bill Broonzy)
Blue Railroad Train (Delmore Brothers)
M&O Blues (Memphis Slim)
Kassie Jones, Pt. 1 (Furry Lewis)

There are also numerous versions of John "Steel Drivin' Man" Henry (who died with a hammer in his hand), as well as songs rejecting the plight of John Henry, for example, Spike Driver Blues (Mississippi John Hurt).

And, going a bit off the reservation, here's some post-war city blues:
Choo Choo Ch'Boogie (Louis Jordan)

But I digress. There must be lots of other country blues train and railroad songs. I would be interested in hearing more of them. Anybody have ones they know or especially like?

Meet you at the station,
Emma Lee (and KC King)

[waxwing]

We've been discussing Avalon Blues oin ine of the vocal phrasing threads, Long and Short of It, I think. MJH certainly gets a great train feeling in the signature lick and the various figures he uses. Musta been the longest train ride of his life, from Mississippi to NYC.
All for now.
John C.

[Norfolk Slim]

There's MJH's 'Talkin Casey'.

I was thinking of another song as well- which I have on a CD but no credit for.  The guy (who is a local musician) plays it acapella with harmonica breaks- it starts "Black smoke a rolling and it surely is a train".  I'm betting someone on here can tell me exactly what it is and who wrote it, and probably what year it was first recorded !

[Cambio]

I've been stuck playing  Furry's version of Kassie Jones for a few weeks now, I say stuck in the good sense.  Man, what a great song that is!  It's like McAbe's great train/harmonica masterpiece of the day, you can almost hear the train coming around the bend.  A fancy guitar playing friend of mine characterized it as elementary, I in turn characterized him as foolish.

[uncle bud]

I can relate to how you'd get stuck on Kassie Jones, Todd. It's too fun.

Emma and KC: There's also Sam McGee's great "Railroad Blues."

Also, just a correction to the list: The Wreck of the Old 97 is just Pink Anderson. The Juke currently credits all songs on the album Gospel, Blues and Street Songs as by Pink and RGD but really half the album is Pink and the other half is Gary.

[Johnm]

Hi Emma Lee,
I've got a few good ones two add, I think:
   * "The New Frisco Train", "The Panama Limited" and "Special Streamline", all by Bukka White
   * "Mean Conductor Blues" by Ed Bell
   * "Rolling Stone, part 1" by Robert Wilkins gets into some train stuff
   * "The Train Done Left Me" by the Carolina Tar Heels
   * "Bringing in the Georgia Mail" by Bill Monroe.  GREAT lyrics and really fun to sing with a group
   * "The Train That Carried My Girl From Town" by Frank Hutchison
   * "Orange Blossom Special" by the Rouse Brothers
   * "Snatch It Back Blues" by Buddy Boy Hawkins
I think that lyric line you quoted, Simon, is from the Monroe Brothers tune "Long Journey Home", the first verse of which begins, "Lost all my money but a 2 dollar bill".
This is a great topic and it could make for a really great workshop because there are so many train songs in both the Country Blues and Old time traditions.  Fun to play and sing.
All best,
Johnm

[uncle bud]

Depending on how you define railroad blues there's Charley Patton's Pea Vine Blues. I may be remembering wrong but I think there is a chapter or section in Paul Oliver's Blues Fell This Morning devoted to this subject.

Also Henry Thomas's Little Red Caboose. And the title referred to above should be Railroadin' Some, I believe.

Blind Lemon's "Sunshine Special".

King Solomon Hill's transplendent "Gone Dead Train", which is related to Lemon's "Gone Dead On You Blues", as I recall (perhaps incorrectly).

Leadbelly "The Midnight Special".

[waxwing]

And I just thought of Charlie Jordan's "Big Four", a great song in JohnM's online lessons.
And you're right about a chapter in Blue's Fell This Morning, UB, but it's more fun to see how many we can come up with on our own.
I just thought, there must be several in Leadbelly's catalogue, beyond "Midnight Special".
All for now.
John C.

[uncle bud]

I just thought, there must be several in Leadbelly's catalogue, beyond "Midnight Special".

Yes, Rock Island Line is another. There must be more Leadbelly.

Sam Collins' Yellow Dog Blues is another.

[waxwing]

I guess we'd include Walter Davis' "M & O Blues" to break our guitar centricity, and there's Willie Brown's "M & O Blues", too. Davis' Come Back Baby has the line "Long train, mean engineer, took my baby, left me standin' here." At least later versions by Lightnin' Hopkins and Van Ronk, etc. do. How 'bout Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain". Of course, McTell's "Broke Down Engine", and also his "Searchin the Desert For the Blues" has the line "Followed my baby from the depot to the train". Emma Lee pretty much stuck with songs that had obvious train references in the title, but if we open it up to train references in the lyrics we could end up with half the pre-war catalogue, eh?
All for now.
John C.

[dj]

I'm glad John C. mentioned Walter Davis.  It gives me the courage to mention my all-time favorite train blues, one that features not guitar but a piano accompaniement:  Southern Casey Jones by Jesse James.  I love Furry Lewis's version, but I've always felt that this one was the true classic.

Does John Henry count as a railroad song?     

[outfidel]

There are some really good CD collections of early blues/folk train songs -- check out

Train 45: Railroad Songs Of The Early 1900s

Classic Railroad Songs, Vol. 1: Steel Rails

I love these old railroad songs, even if the only trains I see are commuter passenger trains.?

[Emma Lee]

Wow-wow-waaaaaaow! Hey, great stuff! And keep 'em rolling. ? I'll have to request 'em all on the Juke.

One thing I love is how many ways there are to make train sounds. Guitar can get a really nice ringing, rhythmic sound going (like Henry Thomas, who also adds those really nice quills sounds as the whistles), and also a nice thum-thum-thum sound in the bass (Furry Lewis). Piano is a great railroad instrument too. The jug bands get a whole extra dimension with jug as the boiler, harmonica as an ideal train whistle sound, plus layers of kazoo, guitar, and singers -- the Memphis Jugs' KC Moan is just beautiful.

I say include all those nice John Henry blues. Here some versions from the home juke (there are tons more I'm sure): Henry Thomas, Cephas & Wiggins, James Roberts, Arthur McClain, Joe Thompson, Alec Askew (some of these are from compilations like Black Banjo Songsters on Smithsonian Folkways)...

[waxwing]

Scrapper Blackwell's "Down South Blues" is another one. Emma Lee, do you want to do a running compilation of what we've got so far?
All for now.
John C.

[outfidel]

Another, parallel genre to train songs are mining songs: Dark as a Dungeon, Dream of the Miner's Child, Disaster at the Mannington Mine, etc. Like train songs, usually something awful happens, people die, women & children weep, etc. -- great stuff.

That's why I loved the song in A Mighty Wind called "Blood on the Coal" -- it tells the story of a train crashing into a coal mine.

 

[waxwing]

Cool, Michael. Start a thread on mining blues. But remember where you are and let's keep it focused on prewar blues. Maybe, if someone wants, they could start one on flood blues, too.
All for now.
John C.

[Emma Lee]

Great work!? ? Here's an updated running list of Train and Railroad Songs:

Freight Train (Elizabeth Cotten)
Railroad Bill (Etta Baker)
KC Railroad Blues (Andrew and Jim Baxter)
KC Moan (Memphis Jug Band)
Big Railroad Blues (Cannon's Jug Stompers)
Wreck of the Old 97 (Pink Anderson)
Railroadin' Some (Henry Thomas)
How Long (Brownie McGhee)
Southbound Train (Big Bill Broonzy)
Blue Railroad Train (Delmore Brothers)
M&O Blues (Memphis Slim)
Kassie Jones, Pt. 1 (Furry Lewis)
Spike Driver Blues (Mississippi John Hurt)
Avalon Blues (Mississippi John Hurt)
Talkin' Casey (Mississippi John Hurt)
Railroad Blues (Sam McGee)
The New Frisco Train (Bukka White)
The Panama Limited (Bukka White)
Special Streamline (Bukka White)
Mean Conductor Blues (Ed Bell)
Rolling Stone, part 1 (Robert Wilkins) gets into some train stuff
The Train Done Left Me (Carolina Tar Heels)
Bringing in the Georgia Mail (Bill Monroe)
The Train That Carried My Girl From Town (Frank Hutchison)
Orange Blossom Special (Rouse Brothers)
Snatch It Back Blues (Buddy Boy Hawkins)
Long Journey Home (Monroe Brothers)
Pea Vine Blues (Charley Patton)
Little Red Caboose (Henry Thomas)
Sunshine Special (Blind Lemon Jefferson)
Gone Dead Train (King Solomon Hill)
Gone Dead On You Blues (Blind Lemon Jefferson)
The Midnight Special (Leadbelly)
Big Four (Charlie Jordan)
Rock Island Line (Leadbelly)
Yellow Dog Blues (Sam Collins)
M & O Blues (Walter Davis)
M & O Blues (Willie Brown)
Broke Down Engine (Blind Willie McTell)
Southern Casey Jones (Jesse James)
Down South Blues (Scrapper Blackwell)
John Henry (or John Henry Blues), versions by Henry Thomas, Cephas & Wiggins, James Roberts, Arthur McClain, Joe Thompson, Alec Askew, and others.

For more info: a chapter or section in Paul Oliver's Blues Fell This Morning is devoted to this subject.
Train compilations:?Train 45: Railroad Songs Of The Early 1900s
? Classic Railroad Songs, Vol. 1: Steel Rails

[boots]

Two more:
Rev. Robert Wilkins - Streamline 'Frisco Unlimited
Mississippi Fred McDowell - On The Frisco Line

[uncle bud]

In addition to How Long Blues by Leroy Carr (Brownie's version listed above), Carr also does a version of Big Four Blues (complete with train whistles).

[Emma Lee]

Also, "The Moore Girl" by Andrew and Jim Baxter is all about trains and train sounds. According to the liner notes of Violin, Sing the Blues for Me, "Moore girl" is probably a mondegreen, or misheard lyric, for "mogul," a type of freight locomotive.

(Speaking of which, I'm still not sure know what Bamalong is a mondegreen for. Working theories: Second Babylon; Second 'Bama [Alabama infantry unit] long; or maybe some sort of obscure mojo term.)?

And yet another train song from Henry Thomas, "When the Train Comes Along." Fully four of his 23 complete recorded works are train songs.

[GhostRider]

Hi:

One of the verses of "Kentucky Blues" by Little Hat Jones refers to the Santa Fe railroad and "catching the blinds" on his way outta town.

Alex

[waxwing]

Yeah, right, "ridin' the blinds" is a train reference, too. So then "Ragged and Dirty" by William Brown comes to mind right off, and I know that McTell's got a few. Well, there's Statesboro Blues, but that's not got "blinds" in it. Okay, listening to the JPS 1st volume:
Writin' Paper Blues
Stole Rider Blues
Dark Night Blues
Statesboro Blues (mentioned above)
Loving Talkin' Blues
Atlanta Strut (he imitates a piano player imitating a "train gwine Atlanta to Augusta"
Travelin' Blues (Lots of great train sound imitations and images, including blinds)
Broke Down Engine (mentioned in previous post)
Scarey Day Blues ("she shakes it like the Central, she wobbles like the L & N)

And that's just the first quarter of his recorded works. Actually, it makes a lot of sense that someone from Atlanta would have a lot of train images in their lyrics. Being at the southern end of the Appalachian mountais, Atlanta was criss crossed by numerous railroad lines. In fact, early in the century they began to build bridges over the tracks, which had essentially brought street traffic to a halt. and eventually there were so many bridges that the whole downtown area just moved upstairs one floor, built new storefronts, and all the trains ran "underground". I visited in the '70s when they were beginning to excavate "Underground Atlanta" all the old storefronts still being there. I hear its turned into a Disneyesque chainstore paradise now. Anyway, I would expect the other Atlanta players to have lots of train images in their lyrics, too.
All for now.
John C.

[boots]

Just played on the Juke:
Palmer McAbee - McAbee's Railroad Piece

[Johnm]

Hi all,
A few more to add to the list--
   * "Seaboard Stomp"--Blind Blake
   * "Depot Blues"--Son House
   * "If I Die A Railroad Man"--Teneva Ramblers
   * "The Longest Train"--J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers
I have a feeling this list could go on for a while, particularly if people just work from their own memories.  It's fun to think about it.
All best,
Johnm

[Richard]

Unless I've missed -

Waiting for a train - Jimmie Rodgers
PDQ - Clarence Williams Jug band

I'll keep thing but the longer the list the harder it gets

[Rivers]

Conspicuously absent: Special Agent Blues - Sleepy John Estes
Danville Girl and derivitives, esp. Good Morning Mr Railroad Man -Dock Boggs, Woody Guthrie
There are zillions of Jimmie Rodgers tunes about trains.
Tamp 'em Up Solid, Josh White, Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet
Got a feeling there should be a Funny Papa Smith song in there too but it eludes me.

[blind rat blues]

Hi guys and gals, I have a couple to add Trouble in mind and Santa Fe Blues by Lightnin' Hopkins.

[Eldergreene]

One of my pickin' faves is John Fahey's ' Last Steam Engine Train', good fun with that 5th string slide an' all..

[mdpastor]

Also, "Waiting For a Train", "The Wabash Canonball",? "500 Miles", and "The City of New Orleans".

[outfidel]

Here's an interesting book that I just stumbled across on Amazon:

Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong

One of the customer reviews told me something about "Wabash Cannonball" that I didn't know before:

(H)ave you ever wondered about the phrase "She's the wondrous combination called the Wabash Cannonball"? What in the world does "combination" mean? Apparently, it means nothing more than that someone (who may have been more familiar with songs than with railroads) misunderstood the meaning of the original words and wrote down the wrong word! Does it help to know that a very early version of the song went "She's the bo's

[hobos'] accommodation called the Wabash Cannonball"? The train "accommodated" hobos by providing free, albeit unauthorized, transportation and at least temporary shelter from the elements.[/list]

[Rivers]

I prefer 'wondrous combination' myself, especially now I know the story. This represents evolution of the vernacular, in motion.

[Bunker Hill]

Tagging having brought this ancient discussion to light I thought I'd chip in with a superb book written by Norm Cohen entitled Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong. It was published in 1981 by Illlinois UP. I guess it's long out of print but those with more than just a cursory interest in the topic are recommended to search the web for cheap, used copies. Be warned it's a weighty tome of over 700 pages and postage could exceed cost of purchase. 

[Stuart]

...I thought I'd chip in with a superb book written by Norm Cohen entitled Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong. It was published in 1981 by Illinois UP...

Thanks so much for the info Bunker Hill. A quick check shows that it was reprinted in 2000. Here's the Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0252068815

[Bunker Hill]

...I thought I'd chip in with a superb book written by Norm Cohen entitled Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong. It was published in 1981 by Illinois UP...

Thanks so much for the info Bunker Hill. A quick check shows that it was reprinted in 2000. Here's the Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0252068815

Cover has changed somewhat but the price ($32.95) isn't that far off what the hardback first edition set me back (42GBP)! I guess Norm has updated the chronological list of recordings and their availabiity which end each chapter.

[Bluesymel]

Don't know if this was mentioned or not. "Waiting For A Train" by Mississippi Jon Hurt which I believe he originally did as "Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me".

Mel

[mississippijohnhurt1928]

There Is The Classic "This Train"

 My Favorite Versions Were recorded By Big Bill Broonzy and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

[Rivers]

I just ordered Long Steel Rail through a local bookstore and they said it's out of print though it's still available on Amazon.

[Stuart]

I just ordered Long Steel Rail through a local bookstore and they said it's out of print though it's still available on Amazon.

Hi Rivers:

Your local bookstore just might have tried to order an earlier edition that is OP. I checked http://www.bookfinder.com/ using the ISBN (0252068815) from my copy that I purchased last year and many sellers of new editions came up. Amazon appears to be the cheapest--not much discount on this title.

Here's the link to the page at University of Illinois Press"

http://www.press.uillinois.edu/s00/cohenn.html

Hope this helps.

[Rivers]

Thanks Stuart, that was a very confusing experience. I need a cup of tea and a lie down.

[Stuart]

Thanks Stuart, that was a very confusing experience. I need a cup of tea and a lie down.

Hi Rivers,

I'm sorry if I was the source of the confusion. My advice is to just order it from Amazon. IMNSHO, it's top shelf stuff.

[Rivers]

No, I was confused before you posted, you straightened me out.

[btasoundsradio]

my latest favorite railroad songs are Sleepy john Estes'. Railroad Police Blues, Hobo Jungle Blues etc. I love his references to specific railroad lines, my favorite being "lord I hate to hear, M&O central blow, when my feet get tickled, and I wanna go"
I think he mentions L&N and some other stuff, absolute poetry

[Bricktown Bob]

Nice list of roads in Jimmie Rodgers's more-or-less-autobiographical yodeling brakeman song:

Jimmie the Kid
Jimmie Rodgers
(with yodeling and Hawaiian guitar)

I'll tell you a story of Jimmie the Kid, he's a brakeman you all know
He was born(ed) in Mississippi a-way down south, and he flagged on the T&NO

He yodeled to fame on the Boston-Maine, the Wabash and the TP
From the old Grand Trunk to the Cotton Belt he yodeled on the Santa Fe

On the Lehigh Valley he yodeled a while, then he went to the Nickel Plate
From the old Lake Shore and the Erie line he yodels to a Cadillac 8

He yodeled his way to the C&A, the Lackawanna and IC
He rode a rattler called the Cannonball, then he yodeled on the MK&T

The last three verses don't mention specific lines, but do include the use of "Cadillac" as a verb.  So here we have:

T&NO: Texas and New Orleans Railroad
Boston-Maine: Boston & Maine RR (B&M)
Wabash: Wabash Railway/Railroad
TP: Texas and Pacific Railway Company
Grand Trunk: Grand Trunk Western Railway, US operation of the Canadian Grand Trunk (Canadian National (CNA))
Cotton Belt: St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company (SSW)
Santa Fe: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad (ATSF)
Lehigh Valley: Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad Company (or just Lehigh Valley RR)
Nickel Plate: NKP, the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad Company (NYC&STL)
Lake Shore: Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
Erie: Erie Railroad (merged with Lackawanna 1960)
C&A: Chicago & Alton Railway Company
Lackawanna: the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western RR
IC: Illinois Central
Cannonball: well, was the name of the IC Chicago-New Orleans passenger run when Casey Jones ...
MK&T: Missouri-Kansas-Texas RR (Katy)

I never really knew that Grand Funk Railroad took their name from an actual railroad.  So, they sang "We're an American band," but took their name from a Canadian company.  Oh, the irony.

[Rivers]

On the Lehigh Valley he yodeled a while, then he went to the Nickel Plate
From the old Lake Shore and the Erie line he yodels to a Cadillac 8

Was Jimmie just looking for a good rhyme there d'ya think? Or is there a deeper meaning? It's great poetically but doesn't make much literal sense.

There's not much info on this song in Porterfield's book. It was released backed with 'My Blue Eyed Jane'.

I'll add that Cadillac 8 to the brands & products thread as well.

[dj]

Was Jimmie just looking for a good rhyme there d'ya think? Or is there a deeper meaning?

General Motors made diesel locomotive engines.  I'm not sure if the Cadillac division made them or not.  And there were 8 cylinder diesel locomotive engines.  So I'd assume he was yodeling to the sound of the locomotive engine.