Wow. The universe works in mysterious ways.

I sat down to pen something profound - a story with the lead-in being the song, "I've been workin' on the railroad." The lyrics were easy to find, but I sensed there was more to the song than met the ear.

Bussongs.com suggests that: [The song] Appears to have been first printed in 1894 in CARMINA PRINCETONIA. May be a derivative of an old Irish song: "I've been working on the Levee"

Who is Carmina Princetonia was what I needed to know and I was led here, to the Mudcat Cafe.

There is a God and God has a sense of humour. Of this I am sure.

Thank you all for this delightful meandering. Nearly one year later and the energy is still here to make someone like me laugh. Now what I want to know is this:

Why would someone work all the live long day (on a railroad, to boot) just to pass the time of day? A linear thinker, given to riveting, transcontinental thoughts? Further,what about misplaced commas? Like the book that's in bookstores at this writing (September 2004) Eats, Shoots and Leaves? Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah, someone's in the kitchen, I know? Or could it be someone I know is in the kitchen with Dinah? Fee-fie fiddle e i o would seem to seem to point the possibility of a giant who may have leapt in from Jack's little time with the beans and the cow, you know? (Comma intended.)

Sigh indeed.

Now I need to go look up Old Black Joe and see if I can figure out how to sing them together, alone, and then see what's up at the Levee. Maybe drive my Chevy there. It'd be faster and I could blow my horn, too ....

Now, if I could only remember what I sat down to write about.

=)