Lyr Add: Waiting for a Train (Jimmie Rodgers)

Subject: Lyr Add: WAITING FOR A TRAIN (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: Ralph Butts
Date: 21 Aug 98 - 07:51 AM

WAITING FOR A TRAIN
(J. Rodgers)
As recorded by Jimmie Rodgers, 1928. (Victor V-40014-B)

All around the water tank
Waiting for a train
A thousand miles away from home
Sleeping in the rain.

I walked up to a brakeman
To give him a line of talk
He says: "If you've got money
I'll see that you don't walk".

I haven't got a nickel
Not a penny can I show
Get off, get off, you railroad bum
He slammed the boxcar do'.

YODEL

He put me off in Texas
A state I dearly love
The wide-open spaces all around me
The moon and stars up above.

Nobody seems to want me
Or lend me a helping hand
I'm on my way from 'Frisco
I'm going back to Dixie land.

Though my pocketbook is empty
And my heart is full of pain
I'm a thousand miles away from home
Just waiting for a train.

YODEL

Subject: 'Waiting For a Train' by Jimmie Rogers
From:
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 03:12 AM

Looking for lyrics to "Waiting for a Train" By Jimmie Rodgers

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Waiting For a Train' by Jimmie Roge
From: Dharmabum
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 07:23 AM

You can find the lyrics for this & other Jimmie Rodgers songs at Cowpie.

http://www.roughstock.com/cowpie/songs

DB.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Waiting For a Train' by Jimmie Roge
From: JedMarum
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 08:49 AM

cowpie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Waiting For a Train' by Jimmie Roge
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 09:25 AM

Eric Andersen did an incredible version of this song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Waiting For a Train' by Jimmie Roge
From: masato sakurai
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 09:40 AM

Jimmie Rodgers sings "Waiting for the Train" and two other songs in a short film The Singing Brakeman produced in 1929. It is said to be "his only appearance on film." This film is now in Times Ain't Like They Used To Be: Early American Rural & Popular Music (Yazoo 512) [Video & DVD].

Subject: RE: Jimmie Davis
From:
Date: 07 May 03 - 07:21 PM

I am looking for the lyrics for All around the water tank, just waiting for a train.

                           Thanks, Carl

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: WAITING FOR A TRAIN (J Rodgers)
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 07 May 03 - 08:11 PM

Thats Jimmie Rodgers, not Davis


WAITING FOR A TRAIN words and music by Jimmie Rodgers 1929


F    C7       F          F7
All Around the Water Tank
Bb            Bbm   F
Waiting For a Train
    Bb                      F    Dm
A thousand Miles Away From Home
G7             C7
Sleeping in the Rain
   

F                C7   F
I walked Up to a brakeman
F7 Bb                Bbm   F
To Give Him A Line of Talk
    Bb                  F
He says "If you've got Money
       G7          C7    F
I'll see that you don't walk"
            C7       F
I haven't got a nickel
F7    Bb             A7
Not a penny can I show
    Bb                   F
He said Get off you Railroad Bum
         G7                  C7    F
And he slammed the box car door
   (yodel)


F C7 F C7 F
   

C7 F          C7 F
He put me off in Texas
F7 Bb    Bbm    F
A place I surely love
       Bb                   F
Wide open spaces 'round me
      G7                   C7
The Moon and Stars above
    F    C7                F
Nobody seems to want me
F7 Bb                Bbm   F
or Lend me a helping Hand
      Bb                     F
I'm On my Way from Frisco
       G7         C7      F
Goin back to Dixieland
                C7       F
My pocket book is empty
F7    Bb                        A7
And my heart is filled with pain
       Bb                        F
I'm a thousand Miles away from home
       G7          C7 F
Just Waiting for a train
   

(yodel)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Waiting for a Train (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 May 03 - 11:02 AM

I got a nice note of thanks from requestor Carl West. Thanks, Sandy and Ralph.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Waiting for a Train (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: Fortunato
Date: 09 May 03 - 11:17 AM

Interesting that Sandy hears a B flat minor in the recording.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Waiting for a Train (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 09 May 03 - 01:13 PM

This progression is from Cowpie. I do the song in "C" without the minor.
       Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Waiting for a Train (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: PoppaGator
Date: 09 May 03 - 01:35 PM

I learned the tune in 1970 or '71 from a 2-volume "complete" Jimmie Rodgers songbook, with the same key-of-F chords cited above. The B-flat to B-flat-minor change always sounded right to me.

I found it difficult to play, at first, because I used to avoid barre chords (using my thumb instead), and this song in this key pretty much requires the use of at least some barre-chord fingerings to make the changes quickly enough. Considered transposing, but *something* was difficult in every key I tried, and I wound up learning to do it well enough in F. (As it turned out, this was the best key for me to yodel in.)

Subject: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: olddude
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 05:38 PM

Still love it after all these years ... Today Jimmie wouldn't get 10 minutes in Nashville so sad.

priceless

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: Emma B
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 05:49 PM

One of the first American (non 'pop') recordings I ever heard - still love it too.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: olddude
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 05:52 PM

This is a very rare video, does anyone know what guitar Jimmie is playing is that a Gibson?

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: Will Fly
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 06:02 PM

One of my all-time favourite YouTube clips! It's a customised guitar - note the "Jimmie Rodgers" name inlayed in the fretboard. Looks like a Martin to me, but what do I know?

Wonderful.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: olddude
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 06:13 PM

You should do this one Will, you would do it justice my friend. Today we have Taylor Swift "country" My boyfriend left me he is dirt but I am ok and forgot you already diary music ... what the hell is that all about !!!

Where is our Jimmie Rodgers?

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: Will Fly
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 06:15 PM

Another favourite of mine - just check out Jimmie's picking technique - not quite as simple as you first think...

T for Texas

I noticed the word "Martin" on the blackboard behind Jimmie - sneaky ad?

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: olddude
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 06:18 PM

Cool, checking it out now Will, please do "waiting for a train" you would do a great job on it
I do his "in the jailhouse now" Not very well mind you .... but I do play it. Love Jimmie Rodgers

in the jailhouse

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: Mark Ross
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 06:24 PM

It's a Weyman guitar.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: olddude
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 06:25 PM

Thanks Mark !!

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: Mark Clark
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 06:30 PM

I believe that's a 000-45 Martin guitar. You can see Joe Coffey of Premier Guitar Magazine and the guitar in the Jimmie Rodgers Museum Tour on YouTube.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: olddude
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 06:33 PM

Well like the rest of us I am sure Jimmie had several guitars ... but that one he is playing doesn't really look like a 000-45 but may very well be as I am no expert for sure... got me a bit puzzled though ... you could be right

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: Mark Ross
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 09:00 PM

He also had a custom made Weyman. See Nolan Porterfield's bio.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: olddude
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 09:26 PM

Jimmie doing Daddy and home
daddy and home

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: Ron Davies
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 10:06 PM

It's interesting the many different ways Jimmie did this song.   He changed the melody in this recording--(which seems to be from a movie--anybody know more about this?) from the tune he's frequently thought of as using. It's quite similar but there are changes. Obviously he just did it the way he felt at at any given time.

I wonder how the sheet music (there must have been sheet music eventually for such a smash hit) went.

Jimmie dominated "hillbilly" music (and a lot more) so completely that "every label wanted its own Jimmie Rodgers" and lots of would-be singers, like Gene Autry (who went to New York in 1928 as Orvon Grover Autry, and shed that name there) were strongly urged to learn to yodel, since yodeling was the key to a recording contract. So Gene went home and did it, starting out his career doing an amazingly good imitation of Jimmie.

A real interesting recording of this for me is the one with the jazz group--does it include Louis Armstrong?-- backing Jimmie up---proving that boundaries at that time between "hillbilly (as it was then called) and jazz were amazingly fluid.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Rodgers Waiting for a Train
From: olddude
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 10:18 PM

His influence cut across all genres of music. He was a true legend in every sense of the word and many greats credit him as such. God Bless you Jimmie

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Waiting for a Train (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: Will Fly
Date: 30 Oct 10 - 04:22 AM

Ron - I was also initially surprised to hear Armstrong's backing of Rodgers on "My Blue-Eyed Jane". You wouldn't initially put them together. The back story, as I heard it, is that they both happened to be in the same city at the same time and, taking advantage of the situation, made a recording together. Of course, they were both established stars in their own field, so it's not that surprising, really.

There was also a lot of crossover between black and white musicians at that time, and Jimmie Rodgers' music was very popular with black people.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Waiting for a Train (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: Will Fly
Date: 30 Oct 10 - 04:34 AM

Hey Dan - I did a version or two of JR's stuff on YouTube - "Blue-Eyed Jane" and "Waiting For A Train" some years ago. But I wouldn't do the arrangements in the same way if I was doing them now...

His songs make interesting instrumentals as well. I did T For Texas (Blue Yodel No. 1) as an instrumental some time ago. Though it's purely instrumental, I tried to capture the essence of the guitar riffs and the tune...