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Help: Wabash Cannonball - no changes will be taken

08 Sep 01 - 11:45 AM (#545164)
Subject: Wabash Cannonball
From: Dug

In this song there is a line that goes: "No changes will br taken on the Wabash Cannonball..." Any ideas what it means?

08 Sep 01 - 11:49 AM (#545166)
Subject: RE: Help: Wabash Cannonball
From: catspaw49

TRY....THIS THREAD [fixed by Link Fairy] for a long discussion of the lyric. That is simply one of many variants.

Spaw

26 May 07 - 07:22 PM (#2061543)
Subject: RE: Help: Wabash Cannonball
From: kendall

That link doesn't work. According to Utah Phillips, it means it's an express and of course, it doesn't stop.

He wrote a song about the Wabash Cannonball. It's included in his Starlight on the rails songbook.

"No round trip tickets, you're on the final run,
This cannonball is never coming back,
Tomorrow she will be another memory
An echo down a lonely railroad track.

26 May 07 - 07:23 PM (#2061544)
Subject: RE: Help: Wabash Cannonball
From: Dave'sWife

Spaw - your linky no worky - get an error message

26 May 07 - 07:46 PM (#2061549)
Subject: RE: Help: Wabash Cannonball
From: Sorcha

Changes---change trains, requires a stop. As in what Kendall said about express trains.

26 May 07 - 08:09 PM (#2061557)
Subject: RE: Help: Wabash Cannonball
From: Scoville

Yeah--like getting a direct flight on an airline, rather than having a series of connecting flights.

26 May 07 - 08:29 PM (#2061568)
Subject: RE: Help: Wabash Cannonball
From: Jeri

I got the impression (from the Utah Phillips Songbook that the origanal 'Wabash Cannonball' was the train to the hereafter. There was later a WC, named for the song, but the one in the song was a mythical train. Naturally, that train to the big jungle in the sky wouldn't stop, and you wouldn't have to change trains.

27 May 07 - 08:35 PM (#2062086)
Subject: RE: Help: Wabash Cannonball
From: GUEST,.gargoyle

In my current keyboard redition - this is usually a show finalie

A little patter
A little chug chug
A Db/C# whistle
Let the train build up a head of steam.
Launch into the lyrics.
Toss in the most recently dead.
Announce, "Better toss on a little more coal Boy - This train is on its way to heaven.!"

And then begin to put on a real dazzily burst of STEAM (I,IV,VII) toots and whistels and train-calls and launch into someplace the audience thinks is wonderful.

Sincerely,

Gargoyle

It is all B.S. but few know the better.

01 Jan 10 - 04:43 PM (#2800984)
Subject: RE: Help: Wabash Cannonball - no changes will be taken
From: GUEST,Vernon, in Nova Scotia

Substitute the word "changes",to read "CHANCES". I consider that the original words were hand written possibly using a quill type writing instrument. If this were true, quite likely the letter "C", may have looked like a "G"? Just my interpitation for all to consider.

01 Jan 10 - 05:15 PM (#2801001)
Subject: RE: Help: Wabash Cannonball - no changes will be taken
From: GUEST

I believe it is (or was) common for long range train tickets to include segments of "No Change" stops. That is, from NY to St Louis, for example or maybe Chicago, train stops would include places where passengers would leave one train and board another - in order to reach New Orleans, for example - but from Minnesota to LA there mght ne NO opportunity for changes.

That is what I always presumed the song was saying ....

01 Jan 10 - 05:22 PM (#2801006)
Subject: RE: Help: Wabash Cannonball - no changes will be taken
From: GUEST,999

It appears with both 'change', or 'chance', although I'd think change would have been used in the original.