Lyr Req: Green Light on the Southern (Norman Blake

Subject: RE: Lyr req: Southern Railroad Line
From: balladeer
Date: 29 Jan 03 - 12:51 PM

Thanks so much, Brian. I never knew who the author was.

Subject: Lyr Add: GREEN LIGHT ON THE SOUTHERN (Norman Blake
From: Brian Hoskin
Date: 29 Jan 03 - 03:20 AM

Green Light on the Southern
(Norman Blake)

Standing on the side track at the south end of town
On a dry hot dusty August day the steam pipe blowin' down
The foreman with his long oil can oiling the old valve gear
Waiting for the fast mail train the semaphore to clear.

The engineer in his old I cab, his gold watch in his hand
Looking at the water glass and letting down the sand
Rolling out on the old main line, taking up the slack
Gone today, but so they say, tomorrow he'll be back.

Oh, if I could return
To those boyhood days of mine
And the green light on the southern
Southern railroad line.

Creeping down the rusty rails of the weed-grown branch line
Section houses gray and white by the yard limit sign
The hoggers call the old high ball, no more time to wait
Rollin' down to Birmingham with a ten car local freight.

The whistle screams with a hiss of steam, the headlight gleams clear
The driver's roll and the green and gold getting mighty near
Handing up the orders to the engine crew on time
It's the Alabama Great Southern A.G.S. railroad line.

Subject: Origins: Southern Railroad LIne
From: balladeer
Date: 28 Jan 03 - 11:40 PM

Hi,all: I have some snippets of a song here. The first line is:

Standing on a sidetrack at the south end of town

The last line may be:

It's the Alabama Great Southern AGS Railroad line.

If you know what I'm talking about and can give me title and/or melody and/or origins, I'd be grateful.

I used to sing this song but time has stripped much of it from my brain.