The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #128539 Message #3280748
Posted By: Jim Dixon
27-Dec-11 - 06:20 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Life's Railway to Heaven (Abbey/Tillman)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Life's Railway to Heaven (Abbey/Tillman)
I think the song you have heard Kathy Mattea (note spelling) sing is called THE VACANT CHAIR (not "The Empty Chair").
The tune to which Kathy Mattea and several other contemporary performers sing THE VACANT CHAIR is not the tune that was originally written for it. It looks as if in recent years the tune for LIFE'S RAILWAY TO HEAVEN (et al.) somehow got attached to the lyrics of THE VACANT CHAIR.
You can compare the original tunes here:
THE VACANT CHAIR - Words by H. S. Washburn, music by G. F. Root, 1861.