Subject: Ben Dewberry's Last Ride From: floyddennis@mindspring.com Date: 30 Nov 98 - 06:11 PM I'm told Jimmie Rodgers recorded this 'brave engineer song. "he said before he died ... that he wanted ride... His fireman asked him what could they be . . " Was there a real Ben Dewberry? Were the lyrics pirated from No. 9 or Casey Jones. What were all the lyrics? What are the recordings? |
Subject: RE: Ben Dewberry's Last Ride From: Barry Finn Date: 30 Nov 98 - 08:57 PM Casey said boys before died Just two trains I want to ride The boys said Casey what can they be The Southern Pacific & the Santa Fe The Santa Fe, Lord the Santa Fe The Southern Pacific & the Santa Fe Casey was born John Luther Jones in Missouri in 1864 & move across the river to Caycee, (guess where he took his name from) Kentucky. He worked the Illinois Central RR. At 26 he was engineer on the Cannonball Express running between Memphis, Tennesse & Canton, Mississippi. On April 30, 1906, Casey became immortal by dying. Wallace Saunders took the song "Jimmy Jones" & put Casey where Jimmy the porter used to be. The tune & words are different than the later & more common Vaudeville "Casey Jones". See Lomax "American Ballads & Folk Songs" & "Folk Songs Of North America" Barry |
Subject: Lyr Add: BEN DEWBERRY'S FINAL RUN (Jimmie Rodgers) From: Gene Date: 30 Nov 98 - 08:58 PM Here's Jimmie Rodgers version. Hank Snow also recorded it. As well as several others. Would have to LOOK UP the history of the song. How 'bout it, Dale? you got any INFO? BEN DEWBERRY'S FINAL RUN Recorded by Jimmie Rodgers Words and music by Andrew Jenkins Ben Dewberry was a brave engineer He told his fireman don't you ever fear All I want is the water and coal Put your head out the window, watch the drivers roll Watch the drivers roll - watch the drivers roll Put your head out the window; watch the drivers roll. Ben Dewberry said before he died Two more roads that he wanted to ride His fireman asked him what could they be Said the old Northeastern and the A and B The A and B - he said the A and B It's the old Northeastern and the A and B. On the fatal morning it began to rain Around the curve come a passenger train Ben Dewberry was the engineer With the throttle wide open and without any fear He didn't have no fear - he didn't have no fear He had her runnin' wide open without any fear. Ben looked at his watch - shook his head We may make Atlanta but we'll all be dead The train was flyin' by the troublin' switch Without any warning then she took the ditch Yea! she went in the ditch - well, she took the ditch Without any warning - then she took the ditch. The big locomotive leaped from the rail Ben never lived to tell that awful tale His life was ended and his work was done When Ben Dewberry made his final run He made his final run - he made his final run When Ben Dewberry made his final run.
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Subject: RE: Ben Dewberry's Last Ride From: Barry Finn Date: 30 Nov 98 - 09:24 PM Gene, that Jimmie Rodgers version is mighty close to the one I quoted. Got this from Joe Hickerson off of his "Drive Dull Care Away" 1976 LP on Folk-Legacy.
Early in the morning & it look like rain
Now Casey Jones was a good engineer
Now Casey looked ahead & what did he see
Should've been there to see the sight
Casey said boys before he died
Casey said boys before he died The above post on Casey's death should've read the year 1900 according to some, which would make sense. In 1909 the song was reworked & copyrighted (renewed 1936) into the more popular version by the two Vaudeville singers, Ed Newton & Lawrence Seibert. Barry |
Subject: RE: Ben Dewberry's Last Ride From: Dale Rose Date: 30 Nov 98 - 10:50 PM I have never seen anything written about it. I always assumed that it was a fictional piece. I don't even know anything about Andrew Jenkins. I will see what I can do next time I go up to Mountain View. |
Subject: RE: Ben Dewberry's Last Ride From: Earl Date: 01 Dec 98 - 12:32 AM I have a book called _Scalded to Death by the Steam_ which is about train wreck songs. It has the song pretty much as Gene posted, written by Rev. Andrew Jenkins. On August 23, 1908 Benjamin Franklin Dewberry was the engineer on a passenger train going northbound from Atlanta GA. Around Buford they hit a bolt and Dewberry applied the emergency brakes. Neither the engineer nor the fireman, Mayson Wadkins tried to jump. The train was saved but the engine jumped the track and both were killed. Interstingly, the train was No. 38, the one denigrated in "The Wreck of the Old 97." The book, incredibly, includes no versions of "Casey Jones." I think it was new words put on the older tune. |
Subject: RE: Ben Dewberry's Last Ride From: Dale Rose Date: 01 Dec 98 - 01:40 AM Thank You, Earl. There's another of those basically useless facts that we just can't seem to get along without. I have been meaning to sit down and read the Vance Randolph books, the Charlie Poole biography, and who knows how many more. The book you mention sounds like a good one to add to my list. |
Subject: RE: Ben Dewberry's Last Ride From: Dale Rose Date: 01 Dec 98 - 01:57 AM Levy has three copies of Casey Jones, all dated 1909 and credited as words By T. Lawrence Seibert, music By Eddie Newton. The Duke site has one of them. I could not locate the Jimmy Jones song, not even with the University of Tennessee song search. |
Subject: RE: Ben Dewberry's Last Ride From: Earl Date: 01 Dec 98 - 08:13 AM "Jay Gould's Daughter", which is in the database, is also very similar. Since Jay Gould died in 1892 would I be correct to assume that "Jay Gould's Daughter" was written in the 19th century and older than both "Ben Dewberry's Final Run" and "Casey Jones" ? |
Subject: RE: Ben Dewberry's Last Ride From: Barry Finn Date: 01 Dec 98 - 09:04 AM Songburg has it in his Sandbag collection but doesn't say much aside that it (Casey Jones) may be based in an earlier song. On the other hand I can't find out anything about Andrew Jenkins or Dewberry. Casey's engine was #382, a ten wheeler. A verse given to Lomax by Cornelius Steen, a friend & co-worker of Wallace "Wash" Sanders & who also knew Casey Jones, goes as follows:
On Sunday morning it began to rain The Mayor of Canton, L. Miller, also wrote of Sanders bringing back from Kansas City & singing Jimmie Jones, then after the wreck changing the song to fit Casey. Sander's version in fragments is documented as far back as 1908 (where, I don't know but that's how it reads). Sanders was Casey's engine wiper. The vaudeville team of Bert & Frank Leighton, whose brother was also an engineer on the same run as Casey, also had out a popular version of Casey Jones. Also see Viking Book of Folk Ballads (8 versions including Joseph Mica). Barry |
Subject: RE: Ben Dewberry's Last Ride From: Art Thieme Date: 01 Dec 98 - 06:01 PM Andrew Jenkins was a fellow who went under the name of Blind Andy or Blind Andrew Jenkins. Harlan Daniel told me a long time ago that he was pretty sure Jenkins had written "The Hanging Of Charlie Birger" which was recorded by Vernon Dalhart. Jenkins would sell his songs to singers for $5.00 sometimes. He almost always had a verse at the end of his songs making a moral value judgment and/or a religious link. Art |
Subject: RE: Ben Dewberry's Last Ride From: Dale Rose Date: 02 Dec 98 - 09:41 PM Here is a little more information on compositions by Andrew Jenkins, courtesy of Dr. Bill McNeil at the Ozark Folk Center. In addition to those mentioned above, he also wrote The Death of Floyd Collins, The Scopes Trial, and The Wreck of the Royal Palm, all most notably done by Vernon Dalhart, and also the well known gospel song, God Put a Rainbow in the Clouds. Bill also said that the wreck which killed Ben Dewberry and Wadkins in 1908 was caused by a young boy of 12 or even less who wanted to see a train wreck. Unfortunately, he got his wish. |
Subject: RE: Ben Dewberry's Last Ride From: Gene Date: 02 Dec 98 - 11:44 PM FWIW!!! Vernon Dalhart left a recorded legacy of many songs, the likes of which, will probably never be equaled by any current or future artist Dalhart, Vernon-:-Wreck of the old 97 Dalhart, Vernon-:-Wreck of the Shenendoah Dalhart, Vernon-:-Death of Floyd Collins Dalhart, Vernon-:-Jim Blake Dalhart, Vernon-:-The sinking of the Titanic Dalhart, Vernon-:-The lightning express Dalhart, Vernon-:-The engineers child Dalhart, Vernon-:-Casey Jones Dalhart, Vernon-:-Billy Richardson's last ride Dalhart, Vernon-:-Little Mary Phagan Dalhart, Vernon-:-In the baggage coach ahead Dalhart, Vernon-:-The freight wreck at Altoona Dalhart, Vernon-:-The farm relief song Dalhart, Vernon-:-Old Bill Mosers Ford Dalhart, Vernon-:-The west Plains explosion Dalhart, Vernon-:-Little Marian Parker Dalhart, Vernon-:-My mothers old red shawl Dalhart, Vernon-:-Calamity Jane Dalhart, Vernon-:-Roll dem cotton bales Dalhart, Vernon-:-Yukon Steve and Alaska Ann Dalhart, Vernon-:-The pony express Dalhart, Vernon-:-Eleven cent cotton Dalhart, Vernon-:-Molly darling Dalhart, Vernon-:-The gypsys warning Dalhart, Vernon-:-The Mississippi flood Dalhart, Vernon-:-Naomi Wise Dalhart, Vernon-:-The death of Floyd Collins Dalhart, Vernon-:-Farm relief song Dalhart, Vernon-:-The return of Mary Vickery Dalhart, Vernon-:-Frank Dupree Dalhart, Vernon-:-The old Kitty Kate Dalhart, Vernon-:-Wreck of the number nine Dalhart, Vernon-:-Behind these gray walls Dalhart, Vernon-:-Johnny Long the engineer Dalhart, Vernon-:-Crepe on the old cabin door Dalhart, Vernon-:-The governors pardon Dalhart, Vernon-:-Little rosewood casket Dalhart, Vernon-:-Dream of a miners child Dalhart, Vernon-:-The dying girls message w/Carson Robison
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Subject: RE: Ben Dewberry's Last Ride From: TinDor Date: 17 Sep 09 - 12:31 AM Anyone have any info that the song "Jimmy Jones" that Saunders put "Casey Jones" to? |
Subject: RE: Origin: Ben Dewberry's Final Run (Andrew Jenkins) From: GUEST,Bo Stone Date: 30 Nov 09 - 10:55 PM Jas Mathus (the frontman of SNZ) did a wonderful rendition of this song on his "Old School Hot Wings" CD - http://is.gd/58wpq |
Subject: RE: Origin: Ben Dewberry's Final Run (Andrew Jenkins) From: GUEST Date: 10 Dec 12 - 05:32 PM Was there a real Railroad Engineer Ben Dewberry ???? Sure was. Was on his usual run in the 1920's. Made a temporary stop at Buford, Georgia, then continued toward Atlanta. Some kid wedged a loose spike between the two rails which turned the locomotive over and scolding to death Dewberry and his black attendant. Ironically, the responsible kid was one of many recipients playing ball near the RR tracks and Engineer Dewberry would pick up a basket full of apples on each run and throw them to the kids as he went by. Actually the kids really liked Dewberry and the responsible one simply wanted to give him a playful bump. |
Subject: RE: Origin: Ben Dewberry's Final Run (Andrew Jenkins) From: Jim Dixon Date: 10 Dec 12 - 06:43 PM From Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, 1880s-1930s, Volume II by Franklin M. Garrett (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1969), page 523:
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