Lyr Req: railroad runs through/in middle of house

Subject: Lyr Req: railroad runs through middle of house
From: shelaghshannon
Date: 05 Oct 06 - 08:00 AM

Hi
There is an old song "there's a railroad runs through the middle of the house, middle of the house, middle of the house" and I would LOVE to be reminded of the rest of it.
Does anyone know? I think it is probably a British WW2 song.
All help receives thanks.

Subject: Lyr Add: IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HOUSE (Bob Hilliard)
From: BuckMulligan
Date: 05 Oct 06 - 08:21 AM

Vaughn Monroe recorded it, ca. 1956. Dunno who wrote it.

The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The trains all come through the middle of the house
Since the company bought the land

They let us live in the front of the house
They let us live in the back
But there ain't no livin' in the middle of the house
'Cause that's the railroad track

When a bill collector comes to the house
He knocks and bangs on the door
So we sit him right down in the middle of the house
And he never comes back no more
No, he never comes back no more

Oh, he railroad comes through the middle of the house
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
It comes and goes through the middle of the house
And the trains are all on time
And here comes the five-o-nine

The railroad comes through the middle of the house
In and out of the middle of the house
Right smack dab through the middle of the house
Where the parlor used to be

There's a great big door in the front of the house
There's a little old door in the back
But we can't have doors in the middle of the house
'Cause that's the railroad track

A relative came to visit the house
He liked to scream and fuss
So we sat him right down in the middle of the house
And he never more bothered us
No, he never more bothered us

Oh, the railroad comes through the middle of the house
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
It comes and goes through the middle of the house
Since the trains are all on time

I'm singing this song in the middle of the house

---

Note: later information (below) indicates that the name of this song is "In the Middle of the House," Words and music by Bob Hilliard. Copyright 1956.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: railroad runs through middle of house
From: Splott Man
Date: 05 Oct 06 - 08:23 AM

The Stargazers are on the air!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: railroad runs through middle of house
From: Snuffy
Date: 05 Oct 06 - 08:51 AM

Stargazers? I always thought it was that Scotsman with the high voice - Al McOgan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: railroad runs through middle of house
From: Cool Beans
Date: 05 Oct 06 - 09:25 AM

The American hit was by Rusty Draper. I loved that song when I was kid. I believe I still have the sheet music.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: railroad runs through middle of house
From: BuckMulligan
Date: 05 Oct 06 - 11:43 AM

Apparently it was a hit twice in the states then.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: railroad runs through middle of house
From: Cool Beans
Date: 05 Oct 06 - 03:15 PM

Words and music by Bob Hilliard. Copyright 1956. So says the US copyright office.
Among those who've recorded it are Rusty Draper, Vaughn Monroe and Alma Cogan.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: railroad runs through middle of house
From: Cool Beans
Date: 05 Oct 06 - 03:24 PM

Hilliard (1918-1971) was American, known primarily as a lyricist. Among his other songwriting credits: Disney's "Alice in Wonderland." "Our Day Will Come" (1963 hit for Ruby and the Romantics), "Somebody Bad Stole The Wedding Bell" and a couple of forgotten Broadway shows. Also, a propos of various Mudcat threads about old children's records, "Genie the Magic Record."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: railroad runs through middle of house
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Oct 06 - 04:06 PM

What's the official title of this song?

Other Bob Hilliard songs are "They've Got an Awful Lot of Coffee in Brazil," "Mention My Name in Sheboygan," "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," and the unforgettable "Sitting in the Back Seat" (is that the one about "kissin and a-huggin with Fred"?).
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: railroad runs through middle of house
From: Cool Beans
Date: 05 Oct 06 - 05:45 PM

The official title is "In the Middle of the House," which is why Googling "The Railroad Runs ...." is frustrating. And you're right aobut "kissing and a-hugging with Fred."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: railroad runs through middle of house
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Oct 06 - 06:29 PM

Song in the DT (In the Middle ...)
Thread 988 has the Monroe and Hilliard versions.
Thread 26158 has the Vaughan Monroe-Milton Berle version.
Thread 58406 has the Rusty Draper obit. and lyrics by Draper.

Thread 205--- will again repeat the information and lyrics by ...

988- Middle of the House

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: railroad runs through/in middle of ho
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Oct 06 - 06:32 PM

Dang. I knew that.
This thread was so long, I thought it was one of the old ones....
-Joe-



....and I did it in this thread in 2000. Oh, fer dumb.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: railroad runs through/in middle of house
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Oct 06 - 03:38 AM

At the time it was common for several versions of a song to be a hit simultaneously.
Sheet music sales were as important as record sales back then.