The origin of the tune is uncertain. Abbey & Tillman copyrighted 'Life is Like a Mountain Railroad' in 1890, although it may have been written a little earlier.

The Calon Lan tune was written by John Hughes, date unknown. The words were written as a poem by Daniel James in 1890 or 1891 and were later set to music. Later again, Daniel James met John Hughes and asked him to set the words. Hughes' tune rapidly became the most popular. The date of this tune is unknown but must have been before 1904, when it is known to have been sung.

The tunes have many similarities and, since Hughes' tune is later, it seems likely that Hughes had heard Tillman's tune.