Subject: ADD: More words to The Dummy Line From: Owlkat Date: 28 Oct 99 - 04:35 AM Hey Cats, Years ago I saw Micheal Cooney perform this song. I've been looking for the words for decades, and thanks to the database, I hit paydirt. That was just yesterday. Today, I found a songbook with ALL the words to it. *Sigh* Does it get better than this? Here goes, all the way from the "Bottoms Up" songbook "for good fellows", published by Paull-Pioneer Music Corp,Fifth Ave, New York, copyrighted 1933.The melody is taken from a song called, "Little Willie", which is described as, "Pleasantly sadistic verses set to an old railroad song. Verses to Little Willie are credited "courtesy of W.F.Evens" Anyway, here are the verses to "The Dummy Line", credited to "Paul Smith and others". I got on the train at half past two Looked out the window and saw the same old view Said I to the conductor, "What you waitin'here for?" Said he, "We've been movin'for an hour or more." When we'd been travellin'for quite a bit I ordered up dinner and paid for it Soon I heard the fireman holler through "Hey! Where'n hell's my lunch gone to?" Said I to a drummer, "What do you sell?" "Brains, "said he, "If I must tell." "Well, of all I've seen, you're the first example Of a travellin' man who don't carry no sample" The engine stopped with a jerk and a cough The porter said, "Shall I brush you off?" "No," said I, "You bloomin'jay, I prefer to get off in the usual way, The lord made me and the lord made you The lord must have made the C.D.&Q Yes, that is true, for the scripture sings That the lord, he made, all the creeping things A strange looking lady across the aisle Picked up her grip, looked at me with a smile "I must be off", said she to me Said I, "You're off, that's plain to see". I asked a man a century old If he'd ever worked on this here road. He answered calmly, "Yes, my son, I was the newsboy on this train's last run." ...I also remember Micheal singing the chorus as: "On the dummy line, the dummy line Rise and shine on the dummy dummy line Rise and shine and take your time, When you're riding on the dummy, on the dummy, dummy line. Well, there you go. Mart |
Subject: RE: More words to The Dummy Line From: Chris Seymour Date: 01 Jan 01 - 08:59 PM I've learned a song that also mentions the Dummy as a train line, but I'm curious what exactly a Dummy line is. Anybody know? |
Subject: RE: More words to The Dummy Line From: GUEST,Songster Bob Date: 02 Jan 01 - 02:13 PM A "dummy" is an engine with no actual firebox, that is, no way to replenish the steam once it's used up. Dummys are supplied with steam from a central location, and are typically used in the yards only, so that, when the pressure gets low, they can scuttle back to the steam generator and restock. No one would use a dummy for actual cross-country use. Another small engine is the tank engine (of Thomas fame). These have fireboxes and a small hopper of fuel, but no real tenders, so their range is limited. Many people do not realize that railroad engine tenders provide water as well as coal to the engine, so that the engine's range is extended considerably. And I'm surprised in the lyric by the "C.D.& Q," since I thought it was the "C.B. & Q.," meaning, I always thought, Council Bluffs and Quincy, a railroad whose old, rusty, seldom-used tracks ran a few blocks from my house, and whose ties I walked on many a day and night, going to either my friend's house or to the Riverview Amusement Park, in Des Moines, IA. Bob Clayton |
Subject: RE: More words to The Dummy Line From: Joe Offer Date: 02 Jan 01 - 03:24 PM I'm glad you resurrected this thread, Bob. I've been looking for Little Willie verses since I first heard this song at Scout camp in Wisconsin in about 1960. -Joe Offer- |
Subject: RE: More words to The Dummy Line From: Chris Seymour Date: 02 Jan 01 - 09:58 PM Thanks for the info, Bob. Much appreciated. Will post the words to the other song I've learned that mentions a dummy train as soon as I'm able (I'm a new parent, so time is limited...) Thanks again |
Subject: Need Tune: The Dummy Line From: Joe Offer Date: 24 Feb 01 - 02:00 AM MMario sent me a Noteworthy file of this song, to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw." I very reluctantly admit that the lyrics almost fit the stune, but they sure aren't the traditional tune for "Dummy Line." Can anybody send me a Noteworthy file of the real tune? The tune I know sounds like the "Beverly Hillbillies" and uses the "Little Willie Jones" verses, and I suppose that's not right, either. Can anybody come up with a tune - from an authoritative source? -Joe Offer (joe@mudcat.org)- |
Subject: RE: More words to The Dummy Line From: Owlkat Date: 24 Feb 01 - 05:18 AM Hi, Never thought about using turkey in the straw.(Although I have been tempted to try camels in the blender) Sorry. Just foolin' around. Seriously though, as serious as I can be after two shows back to back and it's 2:00 in the a.m. Yukon time, I'll try to show the chords that Micheal Cooney used. Each bar is seperated by a slash. In the key of "C", of course. C/ On the dummy line the... G/ Dummy line, G/ Rise and shine on the... C Dummy, Dummy line C/ Rise and shine and... F/ Take your time, when you're... C/ Ridin' on the Dummy, C On the Dummy... G/ Dummy... C Line. The verses follow the same pattern as the choruses. Hope it helps. Cheers, Owl. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST,Shavone Turnbull Date: 18 Aug 06 - 09:44 AM when I was a little girl my grandfather would sing me this song, but he always added in his own verses. There was a girl on a farm Doing her chores not causing any harm Sat right down on her milking bench And tried to milk a cow with a monkey wrench Chorus There was a Doc. name of Peck Fell down a well and broke his neck Serves him right as you can see He should've tended to the sick and left the well to be These always made the song fun. Hope you enjoy them and make up your own as well |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: Bill D Date: 18 Aug 06 - 05:56 PM some of those lines are well known....'zipper' verses that get moved between songs that they obviously 'fit'. I have seen the "cow/monkey wrench" in several, and the "doctor/well" in both songs and poems...Great lines! |
Subject: Lyr Add: DUMMY LINE (from Joe Hickerson) From: GUEST Date: 11 Oct 09 - 02:11 AM Here is the dummy line as collected by Joe Hickerson (who used to be head of the folk archives at the Library of Congress. He sang this at a house concert I recorded in St. Louis in the early 1970s. I have an mp3 of the song if anybody wants it. I have been doing this song for years now.... Dave Usher drusher[at]swbell.net DUMMY LINE (as sung by Joe Hickerson) A song about the old CB&Q railway Some folks say that the Dummy won't run Let me tell you what the Dummy done done Left St. Louie at half past one And pulled into Memphis at the setting of the sun Chorus: On the Dummy Line, the Dummy Line Rise and shine on the Dummy Dummy Line Rise and shine and pay may fine When you ride on the dummy, on the Dummy Dummy line. Acrows the prairie in a streak of rust Something's moving in a cloud of dust Pulls out of the station with a wheeze and a whine It's the two o'clock flyer on the Dummy Dummy line. We left St. Louie at half-past two Looked out at four and saw the same old view Said to the conductor "What'cha waitin' here for"? Says he "We've been movin' for an hour or more. I looked out of the window , and a snail whizzed past The conductor he said, "this train is fast". Says I "Old man, that may be true But won'tcha please tell me what it's tied fast to?" I asked the drummer "What do you sell?" "Brains", said he "If I really must tell." Says I "Young man you're the first example, of a traveling man who never carries a sample." I said to the conductor "Won't you speed up a bit?" Says he "You can get off if you don't like it." Saya I "Old man, I'd take your dare, But the folks don't expect me 'till the train gets there." We pulled into the station with a wheeze and a cough. The conductor said "May I brush you off?" Says "I don't know you silly jade, I prefer to descend in the usual way." ( Note: I suspect this is a newer addition) There was an old lady by the name of Nan, Tried to get a job as a good humor man But the kids wouldn't buy, they left her alone They wouldn't buy nothing from an ice cream croon. The Lord made me, the Lord made you. The Lord he must have made the C.B.& Q. This must be so for the scriptures say That "the Lord he made all the creeping things." Other collected verses: I asked an old man about a hundred years old How long he'd been working on this old railroad He looks at me and he tells me "Son, I was the newsboy on the train's last run." I thought this journey would forever last Train started movin', both smooth and fast Conductor he says, with a pat on my back, "Well don't be scared Joe, we just jumped the track." |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST Date: 11 Oct 09 - 02:14 AM I have one more verse Joe Hickerson sang, which I suspect was added later (this song is contagious). There was an old lady by the name of nan Tried to get a job as a Good Humor man But the kids wouldn't buy, they left her alone They wouldn't buy nothin from an ice cream crone. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST Date: 11 Oct 09 - 02:16 AM FYI: Per Joe Hickerson, the "CB&Q" is now a part of the Burlington Northern, which still goes through St. Louis. Dave Usher |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST Date: 08 Aug 10 - 01:16 PM This song was in an old songbook we used for elementary school music class in the mid - late 1960s. I remember one verse was I got on the Dummy and I didn't have my fare The conductor hollered, "What ya doin' there?" I got up and I made for the door But he cracked me on the head with a two by four On the Dummy.... Like I said, this was in a hardcover songbook (the music teacher would stack on top of the piano and then push the piano from classroom to classroom,), so this verse has to be in a published version of the song. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: EBarnacle Date: 08 Aug 10 - 02:00 PM Back in the '70's Priscilla Herdman did a version of this she got from, I believe, Joe Hickerson. She slowed it down massively, to match the train's speed: On the...dum.my line,..the dum.my.line...rise.and.shine.on.the.dum.my,..dum.my..line;... Rise.and..shine..and..take.your.time.. Get..your..ticket..at.the.sta.tion..on.the.dum.my,dum.my.line. The periods represent stops. She said she got the idea while transcribing the song over the phone. The excruciatingly slow cadence of the song works really well. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: Nathan in Texas Date: 08 Aug 10 - 11:13 PM Here's a version from the 20's or 30's by the Pickard Family. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: Melissa Date: 08 Aug 10 - 11:28 PM Guest 08 Aug 10 - 01:16 PM, Was it a gray book with The Dummy Line on page 98? |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST Date: 17 May 11 - 01:11 AM I've got a gal down in Mobile She's got a face like a lemon peel She's got a wart on her chin She says it is a dimple but a dimple turns in |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST,Skalandzunos Date: 13 Jun 12 - 02:45 PM I got a father And here's how it goes. Shaving' 'tother day He cut off his nose! Slapped it back on upside down Now every t,Imelda it drizzles Papa almost drowns! .... I got a brother His name was Bill. He rode in a saddle at Bunker Hill. The battle was hot but this I'll vow It''s a dern sight hotter where Bill is now! |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST Date: 12 Apr 16 - 11:16 PM My mama would sing to us the verses about the gal from mobile and oughta see my daddy's beard how it grows! She sang others but can't remember them- was hoping to find them here! |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: Joe Offer Date: 30 Sep 16 - 12:11 AM Thread #12629 Message #101158 Posted By: Joe Offer 31-Jul-99 - 02:58 PM Thread Name: What is a kid's song? Subject: ADD: Dummy Line - Scout Camp Version ^^
My first year at Scout camp, I heard a version of "Dummy Line" that I really liked, but all I could remember was one verse and a chorus. I searched for this song for years and years. Here's all I remembered:Little Willie Jones fell down the elevatorThere was also a line about Davey Jones' locker, but that's all I remember. |
Subject: ADD: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: Joe Offer Date: 03 Oct 16 - 11:25 AM I heard the "Little Willy" version of "Dummy Line" at Boy Scout Camp Chippecotton in the late 1950s. Here's a version from somebody who had been a counselor at the camp: THE DUMMY LINE (Little Willy Version) Chorus: Ridin' ridin' ridin' on the dummy dummy line Rain or shine I'll pay my fine Rain or shine I'll pay my fine Ridin' ridin' ridin' on the dummy dummy line Verse 1: Little Willy Jones on his way home from school Saw two bits at the foot of a mule Stooped over to pick it up, quiet as a mouse Sweet music next day at little Willy's house CHORUS Verse 2: Little Willy Jones all dressed up in sashes Fell into the fire and burned to ashes By and by the room got chilly But no one cared to stir up Willy CHORUS Verse 3: Two little girls dressed up in pink Tried to get to heaven through the kitchen sink Drain pipe broke and down they fell Instead of going to heaven they went to … CHORUS Verse 4: Little Willy Jones fell down the elevator There they found him six months later They held their noses and said "gee whiz What a spoiled child our little Willy is" CHORUS Verse 5: Little Willy Jones found some dynamite But the label he couldn't read, quite Curiosity never pays It rained Willy for seven days CHORUS |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST,MaudieB Date: 25 Jul 17 - 11:12 AM Appendicitis they said I had They cut me deep And they cut me bad They found it was nothing But a plain ole stomach ache So they sewed me up again And labeled "Opened by mistake." |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST,Priscilla Zandi Date: 06 Sep 18 - 07:30 PM There was a chicken who wouldn't lay an egg. I poured hot water up and down her leg. The poor chicken squawked and the poor chicken begged. And the poor little chicken laid a hard boiled egg. On the dummy line. On the dummy line. Rain or shine I'll pay my fine. Rain or shine I'll pay my fine, Ridin', ridin', ridin' on the dummy line. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: Jim Dixon Date: 10 Sep 18 - 05:17 PM "May Irwin's latest hit" ON THE DUMMY LINE: GOON SONG* Words and music by James Grayson Nashville: R. Dorman & Co, ©1896. First line?: Now let me tell you what the Dummy done The above information is from the library catalog of The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, which holds the sheet music. Unfortunately, images are not viewable online. * Apparently a typo or a deliberate obfuscation/expurgation: this advertisement calls it a “coon song.” May Irwin was a notorious “coon impersonator” and singer of “coon songs” that engaged in egregious racial stereotyping. |
Subject: Lyr Add: RIDING ON THE DUMMY (Booth/Carnes) From: Jim Dixon Date: 10 Sep 18 - 05:55 PM According to Wikipedia, a “steam dummy” was a combined steam engine and passenger coach, which was known as a “tram engine” in Europe. Now I know what Toby was! (a companion of Thomas the Tank Engine on “Thomas and Friends,” the likes of which I never encountered in real life). Indeed, that type of vehicle seems to be depicted on the cover of this sheet music found at the Library of Congress: RIDING ON THE DUMMY Words by Sam Booth, music by F. G. Carnes. San Francisco: Geo. W. Hagans, ©1885. 1. Of all the ways of traveling by coach or carryall, By steamer stage or railway car, the dummy beats them all. A fat man stumbles on the steps and stands upon my toes, Then flops over a lady’s lap and almost breaks her nose. CHORUS: Riding on the dummy, glad to get a seat, With a jolly company all looking gay and sweet, Riding on the dummy with the darling I adore, And viewing hills and dales with joy I never felt before. 2. One bright and sunny afternoon from off the crowded street, A lady stepped upon the car but could not find a seat. “Oh! Take my seat,” a gallant said; “Oh! Thank you, sir,” said she. A sudden jerk and down she sat right on the deacon’s knee. 3. When near the park I whisper’d to the angel just by me, To take a stroll among the trees, their loveliness to see. In flow’ry paths and grassy lawns we saunter’d up and down, And vows of love did interchange ere we came back to town. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 10 Sep 18 - 07:20 PM Just curious... The (1950-65a)Calfornia public education song books are at the end of their copy-right. I would expect full scans of verses, notes, and chords are available. Is there a file/sort ? Sincerely, Gargoyle Once a Denison of the deepest night....sundown now comes early. Don't get in such a hurry, Garg. Most likely, we'll both be dead before 1950s songbooks come clearly into Public Domain.-Joe Offer- |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST,Stuart J. Date: 29 Sep 18 - 10:56 PM DUMMY LINE (consolidation and revision) Across the prairie in a streak of rust Something’s moving in a cloud of dust Pulls out of the station with a wheeze and a whine It’s the 2 o’clock flyer on the Dummy Dummy Line CHORUS: On the Dummy Line, the Dummy Line Rise and shine on the Dummy Dummy Line Rain or shine you’ll pay your fine When you ride on the Dummy on the Dummy Dummy Line I said to the conductor, “Won’t you speed up a bit?” He says, “You can jump off if you don’t like it.” Says I, “Old man, I’d take your dare...” “But the folks don’t expect me ‘til the train gets there.” CHORUS Little Willy got on the Dummy and he didn’t have his fare The conductor hollered, “HEY! Whatcha doin’ there!?” Willy got up and rushed toward the door But he got cracked on the head with a two-by-four CHORUS Little Willy’s fate has taken some blows He met the evil eye and he cut off his own nose He tried to slap it back on, but it’s upside down Now every time it drizzles Willy almost drowns CHORUS Little Willy was home by himself Found a chocolate cake on the kitchen shelf He thought he was lucky to eat the cake But the cake was poisoned and now it’s too late CHORUS Little Willy saw a mill saw buzz Didn’t quite know what it was He grabbed the saw, but it was playing tricks And now poor Willy has been cut in six CHORUS Little Willy found some dynamite But the label he couldn’t read, quite He grabbed a few sticks, tossed them in a blaze His poor ashes have been raining down for several days CHORUS Little Willy’s been burned to ashes Maybe we all need some glasses By and by the site got chilly But no one cared to stir up Willy CHORUS Little Willy came home from school Spied a half dollar at the foot of a mule Stooped down to pick it up, quiet as a mouse Funeral tomorrow at Little Willy’s house CHORUS Little Willy had a knack For going camping on the railroad tracks Midnight express came round the bend What kind of flowers did you send? CHORUS Little Willy fell down the elevator There they found him six months later They held their noses and said, “Gee whiz!” “What a spoiled child our Little Willy is!” CHORUS Little Willy standing on the window sill Thought he would go to war at Bunker Hill The battle was hot, but this I’ll vow It’s a darn sight hotter where Willy is now CHORUS Little Willy, what the heck? He fell down the well and broke his neck His voice called out, but he was on his own Nobody found him and he died alone CHORUS Little Willy went hunting to give a scare But he was chased down by a grizzly bear The people all thought he was out of his mind When the bear ate his brains and left the rest behind CHORUS There was an old lady by the name of Nan Who tried to pass as the Good Humor man Couldn’t fool the kids; they all stayed home Except Willy, who bought an ice cream cone CHORUS Little Willy was from Mobile Now he’s got a face like a lemon peel He has a wart on the end of his chin He says it is a dimple, but a dimple turns in CHORUS I asked an old man about a hundred years old How long he’d been working on this old railroad He looks at me and he tells me, “Son...” “I was Little Willy on the train’s last run.” CHORUS |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST Date: 03 Jun 20 - 10:22 AM on the dummy line, on the dummy line, rain or shine, I'll pay my fine. Rain or shine, I'll pay my fine. Ridin', ridin', ridin' on the dummy line. little boy coming home from school, saw half a dollar at the foot of a mule. Stooped down to pick it up as quiet as a mouse. next day a funeral at the little boy's house. CHORUS there was on old woman by the name of O'Neil, had a face like a lemon peal. Had a wart at the end of her chin, called it a dimple but a dimple turns in. CHORUS Bought a pair of combination underwear to keep out the damp and the drizzly air. Wore it 6 months without a hesitation, couldn't get it off because I lost the combination. CHORUS |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST Date: 21 Oct 22 - 07:59 AM From 2nd and 3rd grademusic at Child's Street Elementary in Athens, GA, IIRC, the chorus went like this: On the Dummy, on the Dummy Line, Rise and shine! Whoo!Whoo! [train whistles] Rise and shine and pay your fine, When you're riding on the Dummy, on the Dummy, Dummy Line. In between 3rd and 4th grade, they built Whitehead Road Elementary, and we had students from both Childs Street and Alps Road attending the new school. Some of them had taken a trip with the YMCA summer program (led by a man named Kelley) to Mexico. They came back with all sorts of loot like bull whips, knives, and bull horns that you could blow. So from then on, when you got to the "WHOO!WHOO!", they blew their bull horns, as well as the class making th noise vocally. Great fun! |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST,GUEST Date: 19 Jan 23 - 09:13 AM Hey Gang, We used to sing this song at Franke Park Day Camp in Fort Wayne, Indaina, in the 70s. Here's one more verse: I knew a man whose name was Zeke He had a pair of wooden false teeth He put 'em on a chair, instead of on a shelf And when he sat down, he bit himself! On the Rummy Line, on the Dummy Line Rain or Shine, you pay your fine Rain or shine, you pay your fine When you're ride, ride, ridin' On the Rummy Dummy Line. I knew a gal whose name was Teal She had a face like a lemon peel... (same as other verses that use "Moblile" to rhyme with "peel." |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST,Rich B Date: 13 Oct 23 - 08:33 PM Two old ladies dressed in white tried to get to heaven on the tail of a kit kit string broke and down they fell instead of goin to heaven they went for a ride on the dummy line on the dummy line rain or shine ill pay my fine rain or shine ill pay my fine ridden ridden ridden on the dummy dummy line. sung at camp 1955 to 1960 |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Dummy Line (additional verses) From: GUEST,Rich B Date: 13 Oct 23 - 08:33 PM Two old ladies dressed in white tried to get to heaven on the tail of a kit kit string broke and down they fell instead of goin to heaven they went for a ride on the dummy line on the dummy line rain or shine ill pay my fine rain or shine ill pay my fine ridden ridden ridden on the dummy dummy line. sung at camp 1955 to 1960 |
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