Origins: Hell Bound Train / Hellbound (Hutchison)

Subject: RE: Origins: Hell Bound Train / Hellbound (Hutchison)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Mar 24 - 06:01 PM

Terry SoRelle has a clever video of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKc8d2z9odg&t=0s

Here's his page on the song: https://terrys-songs.net/song/helltrain

And these are the lyrics he uses:

HELLBOUND TRAIN

A rich man he lay on a bar room floor
Had drank so much, he could drink no more
So he fell asleep with a troubled brain
To dream that he rode on that hell-bound train

The engine with blood was sweaty and damp
And brilliantly lit with a brimstone lamp
And imps for fuel were shovelling bones
While the furnace rang with a thousand groans
The boiler was filled with lager beer
The devil himself was the engineer

The passengers were most a motley crew
Some were strangers and others he knew
Rich men in broadcloth, beggars in rags
Handsome young ladies and wicked old hags
White folk and black folk, asian, native and brown,
All chained together; O Lord, what a sound!

Through a strange country the engine did race
As the train rushed on at a terrible pace
Wilder and wilder the country grew
Faster and faster the engine flew
Louder and louder the thunder crashed
Brighter and brighter the lighting flashed

Hotter and hotter the air became
'Til their clothes were all burned with each quivering flame
Old satan leaned out and gave out a yell
"Ha ha," said the devil, "We're nearly in hell!"
Oh how the passengers shrieked with pain
And begged old Satan to stop that train

But he capered about and danced for glee,
And laughed and joked at their misery.
'You've bullied the weak, you've robbed the poor,
The starving refugee you have turned from the door;
'You've justice scorned, and corruption sown,
You tortured the land and made a hell of your own

The rich man awoke with an anguished cry
His clothes wet with sweat and his hair standing high
He fell on his knees and prayed like never before
He swore to mend all his ways and give his goods to the poor
And his prayers and vows were not in vain
For he never rode that hell-bound train

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hellbound Train - Frank Hutchison
From: Stewie
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 10:23 PM

I had forgotten the Hutchison LP on Rounder. It has transcriptions by Mark Wilson on the inside of the fold-out cover. What Joe posted above is identical to Wilson's transcription. I agree that the mystery word could well be a slurred 'glory'.

Wilson's note:

'The Hellbound Train' is a classic piece usually associated with cowboy singers and further references can be found in Glenn Ohrlin's book of that title. Hutchison's version is unusual in employing the 'Casey Jones' tune'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hellbound Train - Frank Hutchison
From: BlueYodelFreak
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 10:06 PM

Joe:

Thanks a million for the lyrics, and the welcome!

Rob

Subject: ADD Version: Hellbound Train - Frank Hutchison
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 09:57 PM

Good call, Rob. The Google Books snippet was from The New American Songster, compiled & edited by Charles W. Darling (University Press of America, 1983), page 263.
Here's the full text:

THE HELL BOUND TRAIN

Come all you people if you want to hear
A story about a bad engineer
Who run his train all down the road
And every car had a heavy load.

CHORUS
Jesus saves, glory hallelujah,
Jesus saves, glory will come.
Jesus saves, glory hallelujah,
Mean to work for Jesus 'til my last work's done.

Boiler was loaded with whiskey and beer
And the Devil himself was the engineer;
Everybody seemed to be happy and gay
As the Hell bound train sped on its way.

Black and yaller, and red and white,
All mixed together, it was glorious sight;
Everybody seemed to be happy and gay
As the Hell bound train sped on her way

Notes:
"The Hell Bound Train" has been collected in many different forms
from bawdy to gospel, and from people in various occupations from hing to lumberjacking. In 1928 Frank Hutchison recorded a most unusual version set to the tune of "Casey Jones." It was reissued on Rounder 1007, Frank Hutchison.

Welcome to Mudcat - I hope you'll enjoy yourself here.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hellbound Train - Frank Hutchison
From: BlueYodelFreak
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 09:46 PM

After seeing how helpful everyone has been, I felt compelled to register. Thanks to everyone for their input; it was a huge help. I'm hoping I can contribute something as quickly as I help was given to me!

I posted my best guess at the lyrics to Hutchison's recording in the above post, however, forgot to clarify that I was Rob. Hopefully, it will be of value to others.

Rob

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hellbound Train - Frank Hutchison
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 09:40 PM

I'm happy to share what I've managed to interpret thus far, with the caveat that it may will not be 100% accurate. I'll leave out the line of the chorus that seems to remain in question, for now.

Interestingly enough, as I pasted this transcription in, I did a search on Google books, and came across the following link, which may have the answer we're seeking:

http://books.google.com/books?ei=Uu-uSqqXC5eQMuqdwJgN&q=jesus+saves+glory+hallelujah&btnG=Search+Books

Note the summary text under the second search result. Looks like it might be a winner. Note: clicking on the search result will just get you an irrelevant snippet.

Hellbound Train

Come all you good people, if you wanna hear,
a story about a bad engineer,
who run his train on down the road
ev'ry car had a heavy load.

[Chorus]
Jesus saves, glory Hallelujah!
Jesus saves, [unintelligible]!
Jesus saves, glory Hallelujah!
(Mean to) work for Jesus, 'til my last work's done.

Boiler was loaded with the whiskey and beer,
the devil himself was the engineer.
Everybody seemed to be happy and gay,
as the hellbound train sped on her way.

[Chorus]

Black and yell'r, and red and white,
all mixed together it was a glorious site.
Everybody seemed to be happy and gay,
as the hellbound train sped on her way.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hellbound Train - Frank Hutchison
From: Stewie
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 09:30 PM

Joe, it is much shorter. It features 'a bad engineer', the devil himself, but has no reference to a drunken cowboy. I have not made a transcription of the stanzas. Hopefully, Rob will be able to supply and, if not, I am happy to have a lash at it.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hellbound Train - Frank Hutchison
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 08:54 PM

Boy, this doesn't sound at all like the two versions in the Digital Tradition. Rob or Stewie, can you please post what lyrics you have?
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hellbound Train - Frank Hutchison
From: Stewie
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 08:21 PM

On the recording that I have on the Document Vol 1 collection, there is no way that Hutchison is singing 'deliverance' - even with slurring, you can't mistake a single syllable sound for a 4 syllable one. However, on more careful listening, Hutchison omits 'I mean to' in the fourth line of the first chorus, but includes those words in subsequent choruses.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hellbound Train - Frank Hutchison
From: 12-stringer
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 01:01 PM

Jesus saves, Glory hallelujah
Jesus saves, Deliverance will come
Jesus saves, Glory hallelujah
I mean to work for Jesus till my last work's done.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hellbound Train - Frank Hutchison
From: GUEST,Rob
Date: 13 Sep 09 - 11:15 PM

Stewie:

I appreciate the insight, and I'm leaning in that direction myself. It's nice to get some validation that my ears aren't completely failing me.

Many thanks for your help!

Rob

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hellbound Train - Frank Hutchison
From: Stewie
Date: 13 Sep 09 - 08:22 PM

Below is what Hutchison's chorus sounds like to me:

Jesus saves, glory hallelujah
Jesus saves, who will come?
Jesus saves, glory hallelujah
Work for Jesus till my last work's done

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hellbound Train - Frank Hutchison
From: GUEST,Rob
Date: 13 Sep 09 - 06:36 PM

I've tracked down the last line of the chorus, which is as follows:

"Mean to work for Jesus, 'til my last work's done."

All that are now missing are the second and fourth lines, which are the same:

"Jesus saves, glory..."

Thanks again!

Subject: Lyr Req: Hellbound Train - Frank Hutchison
From: GUEST,Rob
Date: 11 Sep 09 - 08:00 PM

I've managed to decipher most of the lyrics from Mr. Hutchison's recording, but am struggling with the chorus.

The recording is off of the album "Complete Recorded Works, Volume I, 1926-1929", and the chorus begins with the following line:

"Jesus saves, Glory Hallelujah!"

I simply can't hear the rest clearly, even after slowing down the recording. I came across a snippet of the song on Google books that contained the first line of the chorus before cutting off. Doh!

Any help is much appreciated! If I find what I need, I'll post an update here so no one spends any unnecessary time.

Thank you!