Origins: Paddy on the Railway

Subject: RE: Origins: Paddy on the Railway
From: Lighter
Date: 21 Sep 23 - 01:21 PM

Capt. David A. McLeod (1857-1940) recalls his first days on shipboard, in 1873, in "Cape Breton Captain" (not published till 1992):

"I heard the mate (he was an old country Irishman) singing out in a pleasant cheery voice: 'Now then, boys, strike a light, it's duller than a graveyard.' One of the sailors, a good chanty man, started in [raising the anchor] with:

In eighteen hundred and fifty-six
I found myself in a H--l of a fix
From working on the railway - the railway
Oh poor Paddy works on the railway

In eighteen hundred and fifty-seven
When Daniel O'Connell he went to heaven
He worked upon the railway - the railway
Oh poor Paddy works on the railway

In eighteen hundred and fifty-eight
I was outward bound for the Golden Gate
To work upon the railway - the railway
Oh poor Paddy worked on the railway

and so on to the end of the century."

(Well, not quite!)

Subject: RE: Origins: Paddy on the Railway
From: Lighter
Date: 22 May 24 - 02:08 PM

"Old Reader" in the New York Sun (June 9, 1909):

"The accompanying lyric was one of the 'Songs of Labor' with which the hardy sons of Erin were wont to enliven their hours of toil while engaged in the construction of the Erie railway's Delaware division, way back in the 40's. The words are reproduced from memory, and it may be that the verses are not arranged not arranged in their proper order but are substantially the same as sung by the men of brawn and muscle who built the Erie road.

"The Tom King referred to was the principal contractor for the construction of the road, and he will doubtless be remembered by many of the older residents of the Delaware valley....

When we left Ireland to come here
And spend our latter days in cheer,
Our bosses they did drink strong beer
    And Pat worked on the railroad.

Our contractor's name it was Tom King,
He kept a store to rob the men.
A Yankee clerk and a writing pen
    To cheat Pat on the railroad.

It's 'Pat do this' and 'Pat do that'
Without a stocking or cravat,
And nothing but an old straw hat,
    While Pat worked on the railroad.

And when Pat lays him down to sleep,
The wiry bugs around him creep,
And divvle a bit can poor Pat sleep,
    While he works on the railroad.

He give me a drill to drill a hole,
He cursed and damned my Irish sowl;
He cursed the ship that brought me o'er
    To work upon the railroad.

Our blacksmith hails from Germantown,
He sharpens the picks to grub the ground,
He takes the 'jiggers,' when they come round
   While Pat works on the railroad.

One Monday morning to our surprise,
Just half an hour before sunrise,
The dirty divil went to the skies,
And Pat worked on the railroad."

Next day, Frederick R. Burton wrote to report that he'd heard the song "some thirty years ago...sung by a man who averred he had learned it from his father," who was one of the Irish laborers employed in building the railroad. His version differed from 'Old Readers' in unessential particulars....As I recall the tragedy hinted at in the final stanza of the version you publish, an obnoxious foreman was blown to pieces by the premature discharge of a blast. A good deal of the song ran in chronological order." Burton included one stanza and the tune:

"In eighteen hundred and forty-five,
Daniel O'Connel was still alive,
And Pat Maguinness, to my surprise,
Was working on the railway.
Fil-li-me-oo-re-i-re-ay,
Fil-li-me-oo-re-i-re-ay,
Fil-li-me-oo-re-i-re-ay,
Working on the railway.


On June 19, The Sun printed a text from a reader identified only as "W.":

In eighteen hundred and forty-wan,
I put me cord'roy breeches on,
I put me cord'roy breeches on,
To work upon the railway.

For-o-me-or-o-me-o-ro-me-ay (thrice)
To work upon the railway.

In eighteen hundred and forty two,
I left the Ould World for the new,
Bad cess to the luck that brought me through,
To work upon the railway.

In eighteen hundred and forty three,
'Twas then I met sweet Biddy McGee,
And an illygant wife she's been to me,
While workin' on the railway.

In eighteen hundred and forty-five,
When Danny O'Connell was then alive,
And Mickey O'Brien, to my surprise,
Was workin' on the railway.

In eighteen hundred and forty-six,
I found meself in the divil's own fix,
For callin' some chaps a parcel o' Micks,
As works upon the railway.

In eighteen hundred and forty seven,
Sweet Biddy McGee, she went to heaven
If she left wan child, she left eleven
To work upon the railway.

In eighteen hundred and forty-eight,
I learned to take me whiskey straight,
'Tis an illygant dhrink that can't be bate
For workin' on the railway.

"The forty-four and forty-nine stanzas slip my memory."

Subject: RE: Origins: Paddy on the Railway
From: Lighter
Date: 22 May 24 - 03:22 PM

Captain John H. Humphreys sailed on the ship Detroit in 1855. In 1910 he recollected some bits of chanteys for the Lewiston [Me.] Journal, including:

"In eighteen hundred and fifty-one,
My corduroy breeches I put on,
Oh, the railway, the railway,       [sic
Poor Paddy works on the railway.

In eighteen hundred and fifty-two,
I shipped on board the Kalamazoo,
To work upon the railway, the railway,
Oh, poor Paddy works on the railway.

In eighteen hundred and fifty-three,
I made my first voyage across the sea,
To work upon the railway, oh, the railway,
Poor Paddy works on the railway.

In eighteen hundred and fifty-four,
I landed on Columbia's shore,
To work upon the railway, the railway,
Oh, poor Paddy works on the railway.

In eighteen hundred and fifty-five,
I broke my legs and put out my eyes,
A-working on the railway, the railway,
Oh, poor Paddy works on the railway.

"Can't remember the rest of it."

Subject: RE: Origins: Paddy on the Railway
From: Lighter
Date: 22 May 24 - 03:42 PM

Charles H. Hughes of New Haven, Conn., wrote to the N.Y. Sun in June, 1909:

"In 1858 the railway song was sung by everybody in the State of Rhode Island and all over New England. In 1865 I went to see in the western ocean trade, and one of the best sounds I ever heard was, 'Oh, poor Paddy, he works on the railway.' It was aboard the Celestial empire, Black X line, in transit for the Swallow Tail line, Captain John Tailor, known as Black Jack Tailor....Here is the old style:

In 1845, when Daniel O'Connell he was alive,
And Smith O'Brien, to my surprise,
Was working n the railway, the railway,
Oi'm weary of the railway,
Oh, poor Paddy, he works on the railway.

The song was used as a pumping chanty."

Subject: RE: Origins: Paddy on the Railway
From: Lighter
Date: 22 May 24 - 04:13 PM

Also in 1909, Patrick Nimmo of Long Island City wrote:

"As I myself at one time worked on the railroad, I append hereto the lyric as I have often heard it sung....

In eighteen hundred and forty-one.
That's the year that I begun.
That's the year that I begun
To work upon the railway.

Fil-li-me-oo-re-i-re-wy
Fil-li-me-oo-re-i-re-wy.
Fil-li-me-oo-re-i-re-wy,
Working on the railway.

In eighteen hundred and forty-two
Says I to myself this will never do
Says I to myself this will never do,
To work upon the railway.

In eighteen hundred and forty-three
Dan'l O'Connell he said to me,
Says Dan'l O'Connell he says to me:
'I see you're working on the railway.'

In eighteen hundred and forty-four
That's the year McGinnis come o'er
I was sore that McGinnis come o'er:
He was put to work on the railway.

In eighteen hundred and forty-five
Dan'l O'Connell was still alive,
My wife she died and I laughed and I cried.
For I was still working on the railway.

In eighteen hundred and forty-six
The gang pelted me with sticks and bricks.
Oh, I was In a hell of a fix,
For working on the railway.

In eighteen hundred and forty seven
I dreamt I died and went to heaven.
I dreamt I died and went to heaven,
To work upon the railway.

In eighteen hundred and forty-eight,
I met Saint Peter at the gate.
He says to me: 'It's not too late
To work upon the railway.'

In eighteen hundred and forty-nine
Saint Peter says: 'You're just in time.
You're just in time,' says he; 'It's fine
To work upon the railway.'

In eighteen hundred and forty-ten,
I went to heaven and back again,
Back again to my old men,
To work upon the railway."

Subject: RE: Origins: Paddy on the Railway
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 May 24 - 01:32 AM

Lighter, we like to have titles (in ALLCAPS) with every set of lyrics posted. Are all these versions titled "Paddy on the Railway," or is there a variety of titles? If you like, I can give you an edit button for this thread to fix these.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Origins: Paddy on the Railway
From: Lighter
Date: 23 May 24 - 09:31 PM

Joe, none of the texts had titles. The Sun headed "Old Reader's" letter "The Erie Song."

Here's another example from the same series of letters:

"Forty years ago there was a song popular among the laborers in the north of Ireland only one stanza of which I can remember. It is like this:

In eighteen hundthred and sixty-wan.
The corduroys I did put on.
    To work upon the railway, the railway, the railway.

In eighteen hundthred and sixty-two
The corduroys they were wore through
    With workin' on the railway.

"Probably this was an echo of the Erie song blown across the water.
                                                                                                      "ANCIENT."