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Lyr Req/Add: Wave to Me, My Lady (Loesser/Stein)

19 Nov 00 - 09:52 AM (#343440)
Subject: Wave to me, my lady
From: GUEST,Morris Johnson

From the dim recesses of my past comes suddenly the fragmentary recollection of a song heard from an old Victrola machine playing a song that went:

"Just got a job in the railroad yard.
Pay me good, work me hard.
Just got a job in the railroad yard
And now I'm doin' fine."

Chorus:
"So won't you wave to me my lady, wave to me my lady,
Wave to me my lady as I roll on down the line.
Oh won't you wave to me my lady, wave to me my lady,
Wave to me my lady down the line."

There were several more verses which my aging memory can no longer recall.

Help? Anybody?


19 Nov 00 - 12:59 PM (#343485)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wave to me, my lady
From: GUEST,(Edgar A.)--a.k.a. Art Thieme

This really fine sing-along song was from Elton Britt--the amazing yodeling country singer who also did "There's A Star Spangled Benner Waving Somewhere". It was also done in more recent times (25 years ago) by Jim Kweskin at a show he did at Charlotte's Web in Rockford, Illinois ( I opened that show for Jim). That's when I tape recorded Jim doing it. I'll post it later---as soon as I can dig it out.

Art Thieme


19 Nov 00 - 02:10 PM (#343501)
Subject: Lyr Add: WAVE TO ME MY LADY (Loesser/Stein)
From: GUEST,(Edgar A.) a.k.a. Art Thieme

WAVE TO ME MY LADY
(Frank Loesser & William Stein)
from Elton Britt (1940s) via Jim Kweskin (1973)

Just took a job in the railroad yard,
Pay me good, work me hard,
Just took a job in the railroad yard
And now I'm doin' fine.

CHORUS
------So won't you wave to me my lady,
------Wave to me my lady,
------Wave to me my lady as I roll on down the line,
------Oh won't you wave to me my lady,
------Wave to me my lady,
------Wave to me my lady down the line.

Just took a job on the railroad switch,
Won't go broke, can't get rich,
Just took a job on the railroad switch,
And now I'm doin' fine.

CHORUS
------Oh ain't you proud of me my lady,
------Proud of me my lady,
------Proud of me my lady as I roll on down the line,
------Proud of me my lady,
------Proud of me my lady,
------Ain't you proud of me my lady,
------Proud of me my lady down the line.

Just took a job on the railroad brake,
Daily bread--Sunday cake,
Just took a job on the railroad brake,
And now I'm doin' fine.

CHORUS
------So won't you say to me my lady,
------Say to me my lady,
------Say to me my lady as I roll on down the line,
------Oh won't you say to me my lady,
------Say to me my lady,
------Say to me my lady you'll be mine.


(...then Jim said, "I love that song.")

Art Thieme


01 Feb 11 - 01:42 PM (#3086716)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wave to me, my lady
From: Jim Dixon

According to ASCAP.com, WAVE TO ME MY LADY was written by Frank Loesser and William Stein. It was recorded by Gene Autry, Elton Britt, Jimmie Davis (with Lawrence Welk), and Tex Ritter.


02 Feb 11 - 12:21 PM (#3087336)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wave to me, my lady
From: GUEST

Hey Art, I didn't know you taped me at Charlottes Web. I'd love to have a CD copy of that. Is that possible? You can contact me on Facebook. Regards, Jim kweskin


02 Feb 11 - 04:08 PM (#3087483)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wave to me, my lady
From: Art Thieme

Jim,
Good to hear from you. That surely was was a long time back.
Steve Powers, the guy who managed the club, taped your sets at his club.. I was staying at the club's farmhouse for that week, and whenever else I played at Charlotte's Web. I dubbed a few of your songs from Steve Powers' collection there by putting my cassette player near the speaker. I recall "Wave To Me My Lady" -- "Sioux City Sue" -- and "The Women" (Frank Crummitt)

Also some things that Leon Redbone did---and Bob Gibson.

One thing I've got that you may want to have was when you did Ella Jenkins' old radio show in Chicago about 1960. I dubbed it off the radio with a hand-held microphone. It was a wonderful set. Between Fred Holstein and myself, we must've learned ten songs. I remember "San Francisco Bay" -- "Stacker Lee" -- an amazing guitar arrangement version of "The Cuckoo" that I sang for 35 years. Also "Sister Kate" -- "Days Of '49" -- and a Jimmie Rodger song I don't recall---but it was just great too.

The name of Ella's show on WSBC was The Meetin' House, and on it you said you'd played at the Monday Hoot at the Rising Moon on Wells Street in Old Town -- and that you were doing an actual gig at the club as a result. Ella loved your music. ----- And Ella Jenkins is still playing and doing great -- way into her eighties I think.

Well, I guess I'll have to re-type all this at your Facebook page. Check out my Art Thieme Facebook page and click on ART'S PHOTOS. There is one of you in Rockford that I took when we had gone to the fine ephemera and music store called Toad Hall to search out 78 rpm records.----------- Good memories, Mr. K. I remember you and the whole jug band playing at Richard Harding's club in Chicago. I think it was the club on Sedgwick St. called Pour Richard's. That was before he opened his QUIET KNIGHT folk night club. As I said, lots o' water through the lock gates since those "days of old----and days of gold."

All the best to you---Art Thieme


02 Feb 11 - 04:25 PM (#3087489)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wave to me, my lady
From: Art Thieme

Jim---another memory.
You were teaching guitar then at Pete Leibundguth's FRET SHOP on fifty-seventh street.--- I took one lesson from you. Those storefronts were dirt floors--cold water spaces left over from the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. In the music store's back room, Pete had allowed 93 year old Paul Durst to live. Paul was a fiddle playing Wobbly who had been with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show---knew Joe Hill and had shipped out with Joe to the Hawaiian Islands.
Also, Paul was present at the Haymarket Riot and at the Ludlow Massacre in Colorado. --- Archie Green gave my field recordings of Paul Durst a nice mention is his book THE BIG RED SONGBOOK. Archie finished that book, and then passed away. Pretty amazing.


03 Feb 11 - 12:33 AM (#3087699)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wave to me, my lady
From: Art Thieme

Jim,
On Facebook I can find no way to send you a message from any websites for you or your music. I do hope you come back here to find my posts to you in this thread.
Art


03 Feb 11 - 01:30 AM (#3087709)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wave to me, my lady
From: maeve

Art, it looks like you may be able to send your friend Jim a message on his Myspace page, if you are a member: http://www.myspace.com/jimkweskin

I also see he'll be doing some gigs with Geoff Muldaur, in April.

Good luck,

Maeve


03 Feb 11 - 11:29 PM (#3088333)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wave to me, my lady
From: maeve

refresh... for Art


10 Jun 14 - 09:56 AM (#3631945)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wave to Me, My Lady
From: GUEST,r.d.shepherd(70 yrs. old)

just took a job in the railroad freight,
tote that bail, lift that crate,
just took a job in the railroad freight,
and now i'm doin' fine,

so won't you wave to me my lady, wave to me my lady,
wave to me my lady, as I roll on down the line;
oh! won't you wave to me my lady down the line


12 Jun 14 - 09:56 AM (#3632474)
Subject: RE: req/ADD: Wave to Me, My Lady (Loesser/Stein)
From: GUEST,ole shep ! again

I'm not that good with cord choice , I sing at different levels , when the mood or song rings a bell in my vocal cords... but I learned "wave to me my lady " off a 78rpm record when I was 6 yrs. old by "Gene Autry " I used a '47 Philco radio / turntable unit.. I know where it is , and it still works , my niece has it now taking good care of it in Michigan , well that's history , what I need to know I some one who knows the song well enough to set me up with cords to play on my 12 string flattop . I'm thinking when Gene did the song in one of his movies it was in the key of "C" . Thanks to anyone who can help me out..bye ya'll


24 Oct 14 - 12:49 AM (#3671737)
Subject: RE: req/ADD: Wave to Me, My Lady (Loesser/Stein)
From: GUEST,Clive in New Zealand

Alternative first verse to Wave to me my Lady. This song played on local radio when I was quite young, we're talking over fifty years ago. I always remembered the first verse for some reason, goes like this

Just took a job on a rail road rig
work is hard pay aint big
Just took a job on a rail road rig
and now I'm doing fine

Why don't you wave to me my lady etc