Lyr. Add: THE RAILROADER

I would not marry a farmer,
He's always in the dirt,
But I would marry an engineer
Who wears a striped shirt,

*A railroader, mother, a railroader, a railroader for me,
If ever I marry in all my life,
A railroader's bride I'll be.

I would not marry a blacksmith,
He's always in the black,
But I would marry an engineer
Who pulls the throttle back!

I've roamed this wide world over
Some pleasures for to see,
I fell in love with a railroad man
An' he fell in love with me.

I would not marry a sheriff,
For he is sure to die,
But I would marry a railroader
Who has them pretty blue eyes.

I would not marry a preacher,
He preaches too much hell,
But I would marry an engineer
Who rings the engine bell.

I would not marry a gambler,
He's always drinkin' wine,
But I would marry a railroader
Who runs the forty-nine.

* Not separated in the music, but this seems to be a chorus. Sung by Mrs. May Kennedy McCord, Missouri, 1934. "Learned from the man who furnished the music for the circle-swing at a picnic near Galena [MO] in 1897."
Randolph, "Ozark Folksongs," vol. 3, no. 493, pp. 259-260.

At a guess, this may have originated as a poem in a railroad magazine, e. g. "Locomotive Engineers Journal," which often included contributed poetry about railroading and other topics, and had a "Woman's Department."

Belden, "Ballads and Songs," 1940, places his version of "The Railroader" with "The Guerilla Boy," which is related to "The Roving Journeyman" of Irish and English broadsides.
A few verses are different.

I took a trip to Cornersville,
Some pleasure for to see.
I fell in love with the railroader
And he fell in love with me.

Chorus:
The railroader, the railroader,
The railroader for me.
If ever I marry in all my life
The railroader's bride I'll be.

I took him in my little parlor
And cooled him with my fan.
I whispered in my mother's ear,
'I love the railroad man,'

I would not marry the farmer, etc.

I would not marry the blacksmith, etc.

I would not marry the merchant;
He's always sure to die, etc.

I would not marry the gambler, etc.
---
Who pulls the number nine.

Secured in 1910 ---from a Mrs. Autherson, formerly of Wisconsin. No music.
H. M. Belden, "Ballads and Songs Collected by the Missouri Folk-Lore Society," 1940, p. 377.