Origins: More info on 'Lord of the IRT' please?

Subject: Origins: More info on 'Lord of the IRT' please?
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 28 Mar 21 - 07:43 PM

I found this parody on Mudcat and am considering singing it, but would like to know more about it (I tried to link to it, but I get an error message, so here it is:)

LORD OF THE IRT

Oh, I rode on a Friday when the trains all stalled
Well, the muggers came out and all of us were malled
The doors wouldn't open or the lights go on
But what the hell, the trains rolled on

Ride, then whoever you may be
For I am the lord of the IRT
And I'll lead you all wherever you may be
I'll lead you all to the BMT

I rode in the summer with the heat turned high
The cars were packed and all of us were fry
I have ridden all the lines, even IND
But nothing does compare with the IRT

I rode with a woman with a brown paper sack
It's hard to ride with an elbow in your back
The crazies and the drunks came running through
And for seventy five cents you can join them, too

And then one day there began a strike
I said, ``Thank God,' and I trotted out my bike
The drivers of the cars all came out, too
They ran me down, then they said they'd sue

If anyone knows who wrote it, that would be good. I'm also interested in knowing what IRT, BMT and IND stand for. I'm assuming they're railway lines, and I could sing it without the specifics, but it would be nice to know. (I've done some googling, but there are so many possibilities!)

Many thanks for any info anyone can offer...

Subject: RE: Origins: More info on 'Lord of the IRT' please?
From: GUEST,#
Date: 28 Mar 21 - 07:55 PM

They are subway lines in NYC. IRT if I recall correctly means Interborough Rapid Transit, IND is the Independent and BMT I can't remember. The three lines still exist.

Can't locate an author. Malled in the second verse s/b mauled.

Subject: RE: Origins: More info on 'Lord of the IRT' please?
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 29 Mar 21 - 01:50 AM

Thank you, Guest!

Subject: RE: Origins: More info on 'Lord of the IRT' please?
From: Susan of DT
Date: 29 Mar 21 - 05:46 AM

Brooklyn Manhattan Transit = BMT

Subject: RE: Origins: More info on 'Lord of the IRT' please?
From: GerryM
Date: 29 Mar 21 - 07:13 AM

They were three private companies that built subway networks in New York City. One by one, they sold out to the city. The distinctions are now mainly of historical interest. The three letter abbreviations are obsolete, I don't think they are used in any official settings, many people who have come to New York in, say, the last 20 years probably don't even recognize them.

The song could be dated by the 75 cent fare, probably to some time in the 1980s. I think it's $2.75 now.

Subject: RE: Origins: More info on 'Lord of the IRT' please?
From: GUEST,#
Date: 29 Mar 21 - 08:40 AM

The fare was 15 cents when I first went to NYC. The tokens were a bit smaller than a dime and there was a Y-shape that went through the center of the token. There are many examples on Google Images. That said, I have never heard the song before so am not able to help in that regard.

Subject: RE: Origins: More info on 'Lord of the IRT' please?
From: GerryM
Date: 30 Mar 21 - 05:27 AM

Complete and utter history of the price of a New York City subway token. The 75 cents in the song places it between 4 July 1981 and 1 January 1984.