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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: gillymor Date: 03 Jun 21 - 10:51 AM The only one I know of is New Dehli Freight Train, written by Texan Terry Allen and covered here by Little Feat. John Starling also covered it. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Jack Campin Date: 03 Jun 21 - 10:04 AM India has by far the biggest railway system in the world. They must have train songs. Who knows about them? |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Felipa Date: 03 Jun 21 - 07:50 AM https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=19614 = Reuben's Train |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Felipa Date: 03 Jun 21 - 07:48 AM https://reelear.com/sounds-like-a-train/ is a blog to promote an ear-training app, but it has sound files of Rev. Dan Smith playing a harmonica throw down simply called – The Train; Bukka White’s Special Streamline; Train 45, from the Log Cabin Boys; Chuck Berry’s, Down Bound Train |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,henryp Date: 06 Oct 20 - 01:52 PM In the Sidings by Cyril Tawney, 1963. The pin-stripe boys have had their say, A line must go if it doesn’t pay. But I’m too old to move away, I'm in the sidings now. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,BlackAcornUK Date: 06 Oct 20 - 01:37 PM Oops, meant to click the 'link-maker', and hit 'submit' instead - here's the whole LP, on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Dwpi4c1Mlrg |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,BlackAcornUK Date: 06 Oct 20 - 01:36 PM A bit far-out from many of the other suggestions, perhaps, but there was an excellent LP in the late 90s that melded dust-bowl roots with gentle instrumental avant-rock - 'Train Songs' by Two Dollar Guitar. Features Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley on drums. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,henryp Date: 06 Oct 20 - 01:20 PM Sergeant Small I went broke in western Queensland in Nineteen Thirty One Nobody would employ me and my swag carrying days begun I started out through Charleville and all the western towns I was on me way to Roma destination Darling Downs Me pants was getting ragged and me boots was a-getting thin And as I came into Mitchell the goods train shunted in I could hear her whistle blowing it was mighty plain to see She was on her way to Roma or so it seemed to me Chorus: I wish I was about twenty stone and only seven feet tall I’d go back to western Queensland and beat up Sergeant Small Traditional arranged by Andy Irvine; “Sergeant Small” is an Australian song which tells the story of an unemployed man who rides freight trains in his search for work during the Great Depression in the 1930s but gets trapped by Sergeant Small, a policeman masquerading as a hobo. This song is an amalgamation from two sources put together by Brad Tate: the recording made by Tex Morton in the 1940s and the poem written by Terry Boylan in the 1970s. Irvine first heard it sung by Seamus Gill of Canberra, a Donegal man who has lived most of his life in Australia. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST Date: 06 Oct 20 - 10:44 AM Het boemeltje van Purmerend |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,Kathy in Wisconsin Date: 06 Oct 20 - 10:19 AM Delighted to see this thread reactivate itself. It’s been fun reading the replies, even if they weren’t specific to my question. Meanwhile, I think we figured out the answer: ‘Bloodline’ by Glenn Campbell. The line our listener remembered was actually ‘It was something of wonder, that steel-plated thunder’. Here are the full lyrics. BLOODLINE (Glenn Campbell) In the eyes of the old ones Who watched from a distance It was a devilish magic at best But the hearts of the children Were filled with excitement As they dreamed of their house in the West Oh the engine would fire the black smoke would rise Thru the spray of the slick silver steam It was something of wonder that steel plated thunder That moved the American dream That moved the American dream I can hear the sleepy whistle blowin' I can see the spark beneath the wheels As the leaves the hills behind her For the ragged cotton fields In a dusty one-house station All the children grow impatient As they stare into the distance for a sign Here she comes can't you hear her whistle whine Here she comes rollin' in my bloodline Running' in my bloodline Old man Grady waves his lantern "All on board" I hear him cry While Lucius stokes the cinder And wipes the coal dust from his eyes Yes she was prowd and full of fire As she road that silver wire >From the Kansas Plains to the great Sierra Pine Here she comes can't you hear the whistle whine Here she comes rollin' in right on time I can feel her she's runnin' in my bloodline Runnin' in my bloodline Here she comes Now the stockyards are empty The steel rails are rusted They belong to the wind and the sand But we long will remember The steel and the timber And the pulse that once beat thru this land Oh the engine would fire the black smoke would rise Thru the spray of the slick silver steam It was something of wonder that steel plated thunder That moved the American dream That moved the American dream The American dream Dream ... Thanks for being out there, Mudcatters. Carry on! |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST Date: 04 Oct 20 - 01:35 AM Bill Mason (Article originally published: Inside Bluegrass, January 2008) Roy Harvey (?-1958), a member of the North Carolina Ramblers, probably learned it when he worked as a railroad engineer before he started a musical career. He recorded it in 1927. This version, from 1929, was also recorded by the NC Ramblers, this time with Charlie Poole (1892-1931) singing. Complete Lyrics: [Spoken introduction: (whistle) Roy Harvey: Mmm – that man sure does blow a wicked whistle, don’t he? Sounds like that old feller that used to run on the Southern, between Monroe and Spencer. Pulled that Crescent Limited. What was his name, Charlie? Charlie Poole: Oh, you thinking about Bill Mason. R: O, yeah. Whatever become of him? C: Well, he got married here awhile back. R: O, married! I thought he was sick, that’s what’s the matter with him, I thought. C: Murdered near ‘bout it, but then he got married here awhile back and we made up a song on him. R: Let’s play it then. C: Alright.] 1. Bill Mason was an engineer, he’d been on the road all his life; I’ll never forget the morning he married him a chunk of a wife; Bill hadn’t been married more’n an hour, ‘til up came a message from Kress, And ordered Bill to come down and bring out the night express. 2. While Maggie set by the window, a-waiting for the night express, And if she hadn’t-a done so, she’d-a been a widow, I guess; There were some drunken rascals that came down by the ridge, They came down by the railroad and tore off a rail from the bridge. 3. Well, Maggie heard them working, “I guess there’s something wrong.” In less than fifteen minutes, Bill’s train would be along. She couldn’t come near to tell him ¾ a mile, it wouldn’t have done; She just grabbed up the lantern and made for the bridge alone. 4. By Jove, Bill saw the signal, and stopped the night express. He found his Maggie crying on the track in her wedding dress; A-crying and laughing with joy, still holding onto the light. He come ‘round the curve a-flying, Bill Mason’s on time tonight. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Bonzo3legs Date: 03 Oct 20 - 06:39 PM The Train Kept a Rollin' first made famous by the Johnny Burnette Rock 'n Roll Trio, and later the Yardbirds. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: keberoxu Date: 03 Oct 20 - 06:28 PM Looks like a double-post a little ways back there. I love me a good train song, whether it's Mystery Train or the Wabash Cannonball. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: rich-joy Date: 03 Oct 20 - 05:54 PM ORE TRAIN BLUES © BOB WILSON 2013 V.1 He got a job way out west carting iron ore From the outback mines of the Pilbara to the West Australian shore The hours were long, but the pay was good, but there wasn’t much to do Except strum the ukulele and sing train songs with the crew. CH.1 and they sang: Freight train, Graveyard train, Blow that Lonesome Whistle train The Indian Pacific and the Abalinga Mail Night train, Morning train Roll in m’Baby’s Arms train Picking up the tempo with the rattling of the rails. V.2 Now the bosses and the union called a meeting in the yard They had heard about this trio with the engineer and guard “It’s workplace health and safety, it’s like talking on your phone.” But he knew it wasn’t the music, they just didn’t like the tone. CH.2 and they sang: Ghost train, Poison train, not bound for glory, This train And they all sang la la la la, when They Drove Old Dixie Down Bridal train, Salvation train, Get on Board Little Children train He could have been the King of the Road but he never got the crown. V.3 The boss bought high-tech robots from Korea and Japan And the maiden hands-free journey went pretty much to plan They said: “It’s a boring job, we’ll find you something else to do.” Now he’s in a control room, sharing train songs with the crew. CH.3 and they sang: Freight train, Graveyard train, Blow that Lonesome Whistle train The Indian Pacific and the Abalinga Mail Night train, Morning train Roll in m’Baby’s Arms train Picking up the tempo with the rattling of the rails. CH.4 and they sang: Mail train, Slow train, Desper-ados Waiting for a Train Homeward Bound, John Henry, Engine Engine Number Nine Peace train, Freedom train, Robert Johnston’s Love in Vain And they all sang like Dylan: well, I'm walkin' down the line And they all sang like Dylan: well, I'm walkin' down the line. For all you lovers of Train Songs - another from Bob & Laurel Wilson (aka The Goodwills) and a great one to try and sing along, esp with the 4 chorus variations!! You'll find it here : https://www.thegoodwills.com/store/music-by-the-goodwills/the-last-waterhole/ on their latest CD "The Last Waterhole". Cheers, R-J |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Jack Campin Date: 03 Oct 20 - 03:04 PM Many thanks to Billy the Bus for the Peter Cape songs. "Taumaranui on the Main Trunk Line" is one of my favourites - and having ridden on the Limited back then I know exactly what he's singing about. Turkish children's song, "The Train's Coming". There are probably many more. Tren Gelir |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,GUEST, Kathy in Wisconsin Date: 03 Oct 20 - 12:41 PM Volunteer music librarian here, got the following from a radio listener. Does this ring a bell with anyone? ‘Somewhere long ago I heard this lyric in a song. I think the line was,"It's always made me wonder, that steel made of thunder..." this was back in 1975 or so. I may have heard it on WFMT show the Midnight Special. Anyway, my friend asked me where I heard that phrase and I thought it may have been a song by U. Utah Phillips. I looked at his website and after some searching could not find that phrase in a song. Perhaps it was another singer/songwriter. Do you or any of your listeners know the source of "steel made of thunder.." in a train referenced song?‘ |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Jim Carroll Date: 09 Sep 19 - 03:26 AM One of the best train songs I know Jim Carroll The West Clare Railway Michael ‘Straighty’ Flanagan, Inagh, Recorded 1978 Carroll Mackenzie Collection Come listen unto me awhile I won’t detain you long. I’ll sing you a few verses of a very comic song. It’s all about the West Clare train that goes back to Loop Head, And when that you were landed there you’ll wish that you were dead. This is the way it jogs along a mile in every hour. The only things ‘tis fit for is to hide you from a shower. I own it is a holy show, ‘twould break your very heart, I hope to God, they’ll pawn it soon and get an old bread cart There are excursions every Sunday as you may plainly see From the famous Ennis station to the cliffs of sweet Kilkee. But sure you’d rather walk it than go in this cursed train, For no matter how fine the day may be, ‘twill surely draw the rain. It then jogs off up to Ruan and the first thing there you’ll see Branded on a placard there is Liptons famous teas. To take in some passengers she sometimes gives a call, But anytime it stops there sure it knocks Moloney’s wall. It then jogs on to Willbrook, and there twill stop also, To take in a noted passenger boy, the name of Padrigín Crowe. Sullivan gives orders, with his new railway hat. And his face all spotted over just like a pox-marked cat. We went one Sunday to Lahinch the weather it was fine. And Sullivan gave orders he’d be back at half-past nine. But when returning home that night, I’m sure he must be blind, He never saw the station so he left us all behind. We packed some new spuds in Miltown, and likewise some fresh beef. When passing Lahinch station he was snoring fast asleep. I’m sure they disagreed with him, they made the tummy swell. For when passing Willbrook station he cried, “This is the Golf Hotel.” He’ll soon be out in pension and for him we’ll get the news, To drive around the station like a celebratory railway fool. We’ll also write beneath his mouth, drop a penny in the slot. And in thousands they will come to see this railway hotel pot. Now to conclude I’ll finish and end this wretched call I hope to god they’ll pawn it soon and not be wasting coal. Or else they will repair it or get an old bread cart instead. And I’ll also say we’ll rue the day that we went back to Loop Head. The West Clare Railway opened on July 2nd in 1887. It was a steam driven rail service between Ennis and Kilrush and the journey took about 3 hours. It was a very important service to the people who lived along its route. Charles Stewart Parnell was invited to lift the first sod in laying of the tracks and the silver spade he used is exhibited in the de Valera Museum. The railway employed about 70 people in Ennis alone. It continued to run quite successfully up until World War II, when the pressure of improving roads finally began to tell and in 1948 the Irish National Railway (CIE) decided to close the line, but instead they replaced the steam engines with diesel engines. In 1952 four new diesel engines were supplied and in 1953 CIE bought three more. The last steam passenger train left Ennis on March 15, 1952. In 1955, the West Clare was the only diesel run, narrow gauge railway in Britain and Ireland. It continued to run at a loss and finally all services were closed down on February 1961. The Ennis station house built around 1860 served as the terminus of the West Clare Railway. Many of the old railway bridges, piers, banks and other such works are still standing. In 1896 Percy French sued The West Clare Railway for £10 for a journey he took from Ennis which was delayed at Miltown Malbay, causing him to be late for an “entertainment” he was giving at Kilkee. French’s relationship with the West Clare Railway is immortalised in the song “Are You Right There Michael” In 1956, American director John Ford produced ‘A Minute's Wait’, a short comedy on the ‘hazards’ of travelling on ‘The West Clare’ filmed at Kilkee. Apart from French’s ‘revenge taking’ song, as far as we can make out there were at least another two songs about the railway. This is a fragment which we found in a handwritten notebook of songs given to us by our late neighbour Pat MacNamara (Paddy Mac) of Miltown Malbay. The Train Runs to Malbay O’Brien dear, come listen here, I’ll tell to you some news, And though you’re at your breakfast, the treat you won’t refuse. No more the wintry winds we’ll face in Patsy Gorman’s car, Or face the bleak Mount Callan when the elements are at war. We’ll snugly sit and smoke our pipes in sunshine or in rain, As we hasten home to Miltown in the West Clare railway train. My father sure, I’m sore afraid, must sacrifice his ears, When Daniel Barry comes along and wields his ready shears. For though my father always believed the words of Columbcille, He said the train would never run as far as Hynes’ Hill We never found any more of it. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Jim Carroll Date: 09 Sep 19 - 03:26 AM One of the best train songs I know Jim Carroll The West Clare Railway Michael ‘Straighty’ Flanagan, Inagh, Recorded 1978 Carroll Mackenzie Collection Come listen unto me awhile I won’t detain you long. I’ll sing you a few verses of a very comic song. It’s all about the West Clare train that goes back to Loop Head, And when that you were landed there you’ll wish that you were dead. This is the way it jogs along a mile in every hour. The only things ‘tis fit for is to hide you from a shower. I own it is a holy show, ‘twould break your very heart, I hope to God, they’ll pawn it soon and get an old bread cart There are excursions every Sunday as you may plainly see From the famous Ennis station to the cliffs of sweet Kilkee. But sure you’d rather walk it than go in this cursed train, For no matter how fine the day may be, ‘twill surely draw the rain. It then jogs off up to Ruan and the first thing there you’ll see Branded on a placard there is Liptons famous teas. To take in some passengers she sometimes gives a call, But anytime it stops there sure it knocks Moloney’s wall. It then jogs on to Willbrook, and there twill stop also, To take in a noted passenger boy, the name of Padrigín Crowe. Sullivan gives orders, with his new railway hat. And his face all spotted over just like a pox-marked cat. We went one Sunday to Lahinch the weather it was fine. And Sullivan gave orders he’d be back at half-past nine. But when returning home that night, I’m sure he must be blind, He never saw the station so he left us all behind. We packed some new spuds in Miltown, and likewise some fresh beef. When passing Lahinch station he was snoring fast asleep. I’m sure they disagreed with him, they made the tummy swell. For when passing Willbrook station he cried, “This is the Golf Hotel.” He’ll soon be out in pension and for him we’ll get the news, To drive around the station like a celebratory railway fool. We’ll also write beneath his mouth, drop a penny in the slot. And in thousands they will come to see this railway hotel pot. Now to conclude I’ll finish and end this wretched call I hope to god they’ll pawn it soon and not be wasting coal. Or else they will repair it or get an old bread cart instead. And I’ll also say we’ll rue the day that we went back to Loop Head. The West Clare Railway opened on July 2nd in 1887. It was a steam driven rail service between Ennis and Kilrush and the journey took about 3 hours. It was a very important service to the people who lived along its route. Charles Stewart Parnell was invited to lift the first sod in laying of the tracks and the silver spade he used is exhibited in the de Valera Museum. The railway employed about 70 people in Ennis alone. It continued to run quite successfully up until World War II, when the pressure of improving roads finally began to tell and in 1948 the Irish National Railway (CIE) decided to close the line, but instead they replaced the steam engines with diesel engines. In 1952 four new diesel engines were supplied and in 1953 CIE bought three more. The last steam passenger train left Ennis on March 15, 1952. In 1955, the West Clare was the only diesel run, narrow gauge railway in Britain and Ireland. It continued to run at a loss and finally all services were closed down on February 1961. The Ennis station house built around 1860 served as the terminus of the West Clare Railway. Many of the old railway bridges, piers, banks and other such works are still standing. In 1896 Percy French sued The West Clare Railway for £10 for a journey he took from Ennis which was delayed at Miltown Malbay, causing him to be late for an “entertainment” he was giving at Kilkee. French’s relationship with the West Clare Railway is immortalised in the song “Are You Right There Michael” In 1956, American director John Ford produced ‘A Minute's Wait’, a short comedy on the ‘hazards’ of travelling on ‘The West Clare’ filmed at Kilkee. Apart from French’s ‘revenge taking’ song, as far as we can make out there were at least another two songs about the railway. This is a fragment which we found in a handwritten notebook of songs given to us by our late neighbour Pat MacNamara (Paddy Mac) of Miltown Malbay. The Train Runs to Malbay O’Brien dear, come listen here, I’ll tell to you some news, And though you’re at your breakfast, the treat you won’t refuse. No more the wintry winds we’ll face in Patsy Gorman’s car, Or face the bleak Mount Callan when the elements are at war. We’ll snugly sit and smoke our pipes in sunshine or in rain, As we hasten home to Miltown in the West Clare railway train. My father sure, I’m sore afraid, must sacrifice his ears, When Daniel Barry comes along and wields his ready shears. For though my father always believed the words of Columbcille, He said the train would never run as far as Hynes’ Hill We never found any more of it. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Rob Naylor Date: 13 Apr 17 - 04:14 AM Fairport's version of "Travelling By Steam" (with the tune "Travel By Steam" tacked on at the end!): Travelling By Steam And Eels "Railroad Man" (on Jools Holland, on the "Eels With Strings" tour: Railroad Man |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Rob Naylor Date: 13 Apr 17 - 04:08 AM Lyrics for Bob's "Old Country Train": Paddock Wood to Hawkhurst by way of Horsmonden Pulling through the hopyards, pushing back again Ramblers for Cranbrook, wagons for Churn Lane We'll never see the like of the Old Country Train (Also Chorus) Driver up the car end, sitting at his ease Fireman on the engine, doing as he please By Wealden woods and orchards, all the seasons through We worked the line by pull-and-push on duty 312. We'd a Chatham tank from Tonbridge, 17–0–4 And a two-set off the Brighton line, seen better years before Never had a guard, just a crate or two of fruit And a couple-or-three passengers all in their market suits: Chorus... September brought the hoppers, we watched them all go past Coppertops and Converts, working fit to bust Hammering through Goudhurst,charging Badger's Oak With the roughest of the old stock they could find up in the Smoke: Chorus... (or instrumental...fiddle works well) I've taken out a Crompton from the yard at Hither Green Come home off the Dover run, my working clothes all clean But give me back the rails and that old Chatham tank I'd be back on steam tomorrow, charging Cranbrook bank: Chorus... |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Rob Naylor Date: 13 Apr 17 - 03:57 AM The Hugh Williams song "Travelling By Steam" (also covered by Fairport) is a good one which I play a fair bit at sessions and open mics. Another good one is Bob Kenward's "Old Country Train" about the Hawkhurst Line in Kent...I played it for a railway enthusiast with a special interest in this line, and he was amazed at how much research must have gone into the song to get the terminology and "feel" just right. From the USA, Eels' "Railroad Man" is both a nostalgic look at at bygone railroad days, and a metaphor for someone feeling disconnected from the times he's living in. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,henryp Date: 12 Apr 17 - 07:53 PM The Illinois Central Railroad introduced the original City of New Orleans on April 27, 1947 as a daytime companion to the overnight Panama Limited. The 921-mile route, which the City of New Orleans covered in 15 hours 55 minutes, was the longest daytime schedule in the United States. The City of New Orleans exchanged St. Louis—New Orleans through cars at Carbondale, Illinois and Louisville—New Orleans cars at Fulton, Kentucky. Today the City of New Orleans is an Amtrak passenger train which operates on an overnight schedule between Chicago, Illinois, and New Orleans, Louisiana. (Wikipedia) |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,henryp Date: 12 Apr 17 - 07:36 PM There are one or two fictional heroines in railway stories - the Railway Children in the book of the same name, Mrs Kindly in a Thomas the Tank Engine story and Maggie in the song Bill Mason. But Kate Shelley was a real-life heroine who crawled across a shuddering trestle bridge - in the dark - to save the Midnight Special. And now she has a song too. The lightning flashed, the thunder crashed, the rain poured down all night A noise outside her window woke Kate Shelley with a fright The swollen stream in Honey Creek had washed the bridge away And soon the Midnight Special would be heading on its way So Kate picked up a lantern and she stepped into the night The wind it whistled round her head and then blew out her light The storm it shook the trestle bridge as Kate crawled slowly o'er But Kate kept on until she reached the station agent's door There Kate stood wild and windswept as she tried to catch her breath Stop the train, she cried, And spare the passengers from death! The agent took her message and then down the wire it flew To Ogden where the train was safely halted by the crew Kate Shelley was the heroine who saved the midnight train Her reward from the railroad was a gold watch and a chain Her story hit the headlines and Kate Shelley she found fame And trains still cross a bridge today that bears Kate Shelley's name Kate Shelley was born in Ireland in 1865, and moved to the USA as an infant. And these words fit the tune of The Blarney Roses very well. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN (Jimmy Work) From: Jim Dixon Date: 12 Apr 17 - 03:50 PM This could count as a chicken song, a food song, or a train song. (I.C. = Illinois Central) SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN As recorded by Jimmy Work and the Tennessee Border Boys, 1951. 1. There's dinner in the diner that smells good to me. They're servin' coffee and it's half past three. The waiter said: "What will your order be?" It's that southern fried chicken on that old I.C. 2. I bought me a ticket down in Memphis, Tennessee. I said I was a-goin' down to good ol' New Orleans, Because ev'ry night I can always eat That southern fried chicken on that old I.C. 3. Now they fry it good an' brown with that old hick'ry wood. They say that's what make it so doggone good, And they serve you with a smile and hospitality. It's that southern fried chicken on that old I.C. 4. Now when I leave Chicago at four-forty-five, I'll be goin' through Tennessee when that moon begins to rise. There's a sign says: "Special: a buck eighty-three." It's that southern fried chicken on that old I.C. 5. [Repeat verse 2.] [If this train goes from Chicago though Memphis to New Orleans, via the Illinois Central, wouldn't the train be "The City of New Orleans"? However, the times don't add up] |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,GUEST, guest rt Date: 10 Oct 15 - 01:22 PM No wait, (the only version I've heard) Jimmie Rodgers Doesn't Anybody Know My Name Lyrics at http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/jimmie+rodgers/two+ten+six+eighteen+doesnt+anybody+know+my+name_20851954.html Album title: 16 Hits of Jimmie Rodgers |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,guest rt Date: 10 Oct 15 - 01:00 PM Is it Jimmie Rodgers' Waiting For A Train? |
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Subject: Lyr Add: WORKIN' FOR THE MTA (Justin Townes Earle) From: AnneMC Date: 24 Jan 12 - 02:36 AM WORKIN' FOR THE MTA : This song is unusual in being an urban train song - Justin Townes Earle writes about running the 6 train in New York City, which runs from the Brooklyn Bridge to Pelham Bay Park in Manhattan. The ATU (Amalgamated Transport Union) and its President Emeritus Warren George are mentioned in the song. "Workin' for the MTA" is on Justin Townes Earle's 2010 album, 'Harlem River Blues'. (Justin Earle is Steve Earle's son). Workin' for the MTA Well it's cold in them tunnels today Well it's cold in them tunnels today It's cold down in those tunnels today Mama, workin' for the MTA I run that six-line train I run that six-line train I run a six-line train Clear from Brooklyn Bridge to Pelham Bay I'm the son of a railroad man I'm the son of a railroad man I'm the son of a railroad man Born and raised back in south Louisian' This ain't my daddy's train This ain't my daddy's train This ain't my daddy's train Mama, I ain't seen the sun in days Yeah them hard times are goin' around Hard times are goin' around Hard times are goin' around Bringin' hard luck on New York town But I'm bankin' on the ATU Bankin' on the ATU I'm bankin' on the ATU Brother Georgie's gonna see me through So it's cold in them tunnels today Well it's cold in them tunnels today, babe It's cold in those tunnels today Mama, workin' for the MTA Yeah I'm workin' for the MTA |
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Subject: Cross ties on a railroad From: GUEST,Guest rich Date: 23 Jan 12 - 05:27 PM Does anyone have the lyrics to this song as written by Dennis brown & recorded by Bill Garrett. I used to have this in vinyl but it`s gone missing from my collection. Thanks, Rich |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: olddude Date: 13 Nov 11 - 09:05 PM Jim great songs !! |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST Date: 13 Nov 11 - 11:45 AM I worked most of my life on railroads including about 10 years on the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad. These days I sing and play music for the visitors who come to ride on our old steam powered lokey rides up into the woods around Mount Rainier. If you would care to hear a new train song or two feel free to visit me at www.YouTube.com/theJWSparrow thanks |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,Jim Martin Date: 16 Feb 11 - 06:15 AM http://www.mustrad.org.uk/reviews/801.htm |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,Jim Martin Date: 16 Feb 11 - 06:13 AM http://www.ewan-maccoll.info/AlbumInfo.aspx?ID=191 |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,Jim Martin Date: 16 Feb 11 - 06:08 AM Don't know if it was mentioned before (I haven't got either the time or the energy to check!)but there were some very good songs on "The Ballad of John Axon (one of the the very well received BBC radio ballads)which was subsequently published on a vinyl LP by Argo Transacord which was part of the Decca group in the late 50's. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST Date: 16 Feb 11 - 05:32 AM 'Are you right there michael' by percy french. Funiculi funicula. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,kiwi_bob Date: 16 Feb 11 - 03:50 AM Howdy, Sam, The village of Omapere is quite a ways (prob'ly 30 miles? -- near the mouth of the Hokianga Harbour on the western coast) from Okaihau, but Lake Omapere is only about two miles from Okaihau, both up on the central plateau between the Hokianga and the Bay of Islands. BTW, has anyone included Merle Haggard's great train song, "Miners' Silver Ghost"? Warm rgds from NZ. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: PHJim Date: 24 Jan 11 - 04:59 PM I read most of the posts, but got tired about 3/4 of the way down. Engine 143 or The Wreck On The C&O or The FFV was mentioned above as being by Joan Baez. In the Johnny Cash movie Walk The Line, Johnny, as a young boy, is listening to the radio late at night and we hear a bit of Engine 143 sung by The Carter Family. Railroad Lady, also mentioned above was co-written by Jerry Jeff Walker and Jimmy Buffet. Washboard Hank's Trainyards is a super song as is Roy Payne's The Trains Never Stop In Kingston Prison. Has Fred Eaglesmith's The Rocket been mentioned? I love Utah's Going Away (I think that's the title). It goes: Is that the moon I see going down in the West, Or just a headlight's glow; C&O Express? I know she's gone, whatever I say And it won't be long till I've made up my mind And gone away. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,Zoe Bremer Date: 24 Jan 11 - 08:57 AM 'The Wreck of the Old '97'. We regularly use the same tune at our square dance club but the caller knows it by another name. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: guitarman95 Date: 23 Jan 11 - 03:55 PM Maybe I missed it but I cannot find mention of Roger Miller's ENGINE ENGINE #9 ENGINE ENGINE # 9 Engine engine number nine, Comin' down the railroad line. How much farther back did she get on. An old brown suitcase that she carried, I've looked for it everywhere it, Just ain't here among the rest And Im a little upset, tell me now Engine engine number nine Comin' down the railroad line I know she got on in Baltimore. A hundred ten miles ain't much distance But it's sure to make a difference. I don't think she loves me anymore Lots of good ones mentioned. "Thanks all" I love it. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Ian Fyvie Date: 23 Jan 11 - 12:28 PM I've heard "Slow Train" performed by two of three artists at folk clubs. Interestingly, some of the railways mentioned in the song survived the Beeching axe and are now thriving. It shows how backward the Conservative government and UK establishment was. But secondly, some railways that Dr Beeching was happy to leave open were later closed by a heaviily sinister clique in the British establishment which railway enthusiasts sometimes call "The Ministry of Roads". If the MoR wanted to build a motorway or bypass, and there was a viable railway in the way - the railway was closed or truncated. A brilliant TV Programme - with backup book - was made by the UK 'Chanel 4' telivision station. It was some time ago now but it's worth checking out as it touches on what sinister forces get up to in the lobbies of power. The Programme was called "LOSING TRACK". Ian Fyvie |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: ChrisJBrady Date: 17 Jan 11 - 06:22 PM And in the UK there is this free audio / download: Lost Days of Steam |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,Chris B. Date: 17 Jan 11 - 11:35 AM More from Oz.: http://railwaystory.com/songs.htm |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,Chris B. Date: 17 Jan 11 - 11:31 AM And in Oz.: http://www.warrenfahey.com/rail-folklore/rail-lore.html |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST,Chris B Date: 17 Jan 11 - 11:28 AM Yet more from NZ http://folksong.org.nz/trainsongs.html |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: GUEST Date: 17 Jan 11 - 11:24 AM More New Zealand: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/railway-songs |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: tritoneman Date: 17 Jan 11 - 11:03 AM One of my favourite train songs is 'The Slow Train' by Michael Flanders and Donald Swann. Written in response to the savage Marples /Beeching cuts being made to the railways in Britain in the early 1960's. It's clever, evocative and moving but doesn't easily fit into a 'folk' idiom. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Ian Fyvie Date: 16 Jan 11 - 09:35 PM A few thoughts.... Train Songs or Railway Songs? The US tradition seems - as a huge generalization I must admit - to be based on stories of human ordeal, grafted onto trains as the stage/backdrop. I immediately think of this sort of song when I hear the term Train Song. The UK tradition splits in two: the first (earlier) UK thread focusses on songs about the railwayman's (Engineer's) job working the trains, love of his job etc. The classics in this genre are from Ewan McColl and Dave Goulder and a few others. The later thread (generally 1970's onward) is more about the social and political effects of cuts and modernization. These are written more from the view of campaigners and rail enthusiasts rather than rail workers. When I hear the term "Railway Song" I think more of this group. May I (most humbly...) add that I have written over two dozen of this type of song from the late 1960s to late 1980s. Onesuch is a 1980s song about the Swanage Railway (see earlier posting on this thread), which was recorded and released by the band Cottage Industry on their own Rural Records label. I am performing 11 of these at the moment at folk venues. My website, containing all the lyrics, histories and hopefully music, should be operational by Summer 2011. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs, 'The Young man on the Railway' From: GUEST,Bernard Sanders, UK Date: 05 Jun 10 - 07:03 PM Bless you Artful Codger for re-connecting me with my ancestor, William H Brinkworth. This means a lot to me and I thank you from my heart. He wrote other too you know, for example 'Happy Little Flip-Flaps', whihc I take to be a song about birds. |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Bobert Date: 19 May 10 - 10:22 PM Well, that's it, Eb... If I do another CD it will be nuthin' but train songs... BTW, there's a song entitled "Peavine Blues"... Can't remember right now who did it but I think it would be a nice song to put on the CD... BTW, Part 2... When I was in Clarksdale, Ms. at the Delta Blues Museum I was talkin' with this guy and he showed me on a map where the Peavine Railroad ran... B~ |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: olddude Date: 19 May 10 - 09:40 PM Well I wrote one called south bound train for those who haven't heard it SB train :-) Dan |
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Subject: RE: Train Songs From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 19 May 10 - 09:25 PM Australian Railway Songs Blogspot including poems. First edition of the Railway Song Book was launched at the National Folk Festival, Easter 2010 & is available from the Bush Music Club ($AUD20, includes postage & packing - enquire about overseas rates) This collection of Australian Railway songs, poems, music, anecdotes and stories is being brought together by the Bush Music Club for a working book of material that can be used by bands and individuals for developing concerts and other performances on the theme of Australian Railways. For over 150 years songwriters, poets musicians and writers have observed and recorded many aspects of Australian railway life. Many of the songs and poems came directly from those who were employed in building or operating national railway systems. Others items came from those who used railways as passengers, or recall trains amongst their earliest memories. Collecting the experiences of railways recorded by songwriters and poets across thousands of miles of Australian railway tracks remains a huge task. In presenting this small collection as a working source of railway related material the Bush Music Club encourages bands and individual performers songwriters poets and other writers to expanded their repertory by seeking other material from sources such as Australian Railway Heritage groups like the Werris Creek Railway Museum, folk clubs, current railway workers and their unions as well producing their own items. As part of the ongoing effort to collect Australian Railway Songs and Poems and to ensure their ongoing use in such events as next year's International Railway Heritage Conference. the Bush Music Club is preparing a work book of Australian Railway songs and poems that it hopes to publish in time for the National Folk Festival at Easter. The contents will be limited to 50 items they appear in this blog as research for the final document. What we want is details of the song and poem as written, a music score and correct references that will allow us to approach sources of the material that may still be in copyright. Other material like photographs will be added as the work progress. |
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