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12 Jul 02 - 01:16 PM (#747243) Subject: Need a New Train Song! From: Ebbie A musician friend has a great plan to surprise her husband on his 55th birthday. He doesn't 'believe' in gifts but his secret wish has always been that he'd had a Lionel train set. So she's having friends come up with accessories/more cars to add to the set she has gotten him. I ordered a Log Unloading Car from Lionel. Friends are asked to show up on his birthday bearing the Lionel accessory and a train song prepared for singing. Frankly I'm tired of all the standards everybody knows: Stream-lined Cannonball; Wabash Cannonball; Wreck of Old 97; Wreck of Old Number 9; and probably a couple of others I can't recall at the moment. I want to come up with one I can teach everybody. Does anyone know a train song - new or otherwise- that never made it into everyone's consciousness? |
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12 Jul 02 - 01:35 PM (#747251) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: greg stephens There was a very good thread recently, containing Spaw's extraordinary celebration of train-ness, and the thread mentioned a load of songs. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of it, but I'm sure someone else will. |
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12 Jul 02 - 01:41 PM (#747254) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Uncle_DaveO "Daddy, what's a train?" by Utah Philips. A lament for the passing of the Great Age of railroading. Dave Oesterreich |
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12 Jul 02 - 01:50 PM (#747258) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Sorcha Train songs thread |
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12 Jul 02 - 02:23 PM (#747285) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: GUEST,Foe Life is like a Mt RR |
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12 Jul 02 - 02:27 PM (#747287) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: GUEST,Foe Couple of more come to mind Hobo Bill's last ride FFV |
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12 Jul 02 - 03:44 PM (#747337) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Mudlark City of N.O., of course, with a chorus everybody can sing. And as sort of trainsong creep, In the Pines has that great verse..."My daddy worked on the railroad line, he was killed about a mile from town. They found his body by the engine car, but his head was never found." |
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12 Jul 02 - 05:28 PM (#747388) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Ebbie Thanks, everybuddy. I found one - an easy one to learn too- that I'd never heard before. That Train Song Phil Halliday
Gave all he had to my Ma and me
Well I was raised in a railside shack
Well I got a soul like a runaway train Good one. My friend is going to be one surprised man. I don't know where his wife is going to store the Lionel while waiting for his July 27th BD but I'm sure she'll find a place; we're all directing our own orders to our own addresses. Bet we'll bring it off. When the stakes are high enough we can all be deceptive! Here's another one I found, a takeoff: AMAZING GRACE (TRAIN SONG) (tune of "Amazing Grace") Copyright 1998 by Adam Selzer, All Rights Reserved, ASCAP
Sometimes I listen to the sound
I dream I'm riding in the car
I've got to get out of this town
One night I crept out to the lake
I want to be the hobo who
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12 Jul 02 - 07:24 PM (#747449) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Mr Red one of mine - Station in the Sky is a tongue in cheek gospel song but having heard real gospel this is only just over the top - I put it on cresby.com in pdf form. With notation I think. Enjoy. |
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13 Jul 02 - 01:33 AM (#747571) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: raredance John Denver did a whole CD of train songs shortly before he died. sort of related-
Shoulder to shoulder and back to back rich r |
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13 Jul 02 - 06:17 AM (#747626) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: GUEST,van lingle Tom Rush's Bukka White-influenced "Panama Limited" is a great one you don't hear too often. vl |
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13 Jul 02 - 07:29 AM (#747645) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Dagmar "Night train" from bruce Cockburn...a great song, may be not a sing a long , but nevertheless worth to check out..or download from www.kazaa.com...grettings from Dagmar and have a nice party... |
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13 Jul 02 - 12:24 PM (#747688) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Mark Clark I've been trying to locate a little known train song about the stormy night in 1881 when Kate Shelley saved the Midnight Express near Boone, Iowa. I remember there was a folk singer working in the Chicago area who wrote and published such a song but I can't remember who it was. It may have been Pat Garvey; I've written him a note to ask. Does anyone else remember this song? - Mark |
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15 Jul 02 - 09:02 PM (#748583) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Mark Clark Yup, it was Pat Garvey. I'm not sure whether Pat wants his song posted here or not but I'll ask him and if he agrees, I'll post it. - Mark |
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15 Jul 02 - 10:10 PM (#748611) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Bee-dubya-ell The Monkey & the Engineer (done by Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead) is usually fun for all ages. a href="http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~mleone/gdead/dead-lyrics/Monkey_and_the_Engineer.txt">Click Here for lyrics. Bruce |
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15 Jul 02 - 10:48 PM (#748621) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Warsaw Ed I nominate "The Enterprise Express" on the WIT AND WISDOM CD by the Sean O'Neil Band - Any body have the lyrics? Ed |
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16 Jul 02 - 12:10 AM (#748655) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Ebbie Three of us- two mandos, one guitar- are working on an arrangement for the song I copied above, Halliday's 'That Train Song'. It's really quite effective, and fun besides. Lets ya ham it up. |
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16 Jul 02 - 12:14 AM (#748657) Subject: Lyr Add: DESERT WIND (Sonja W. Oates) From: GUEST,Sonja This song was written on an Amtrak train from San Diego to Denver in 1985. The Desert Wind train was the one that linked up in Salt Lake City with another Amtrak train that went on to Denver, and that train no longer exists as such. Kind of a pity, since it was a very scenic ride. I think the song wants another verse, but I never wrote one. I can't do MIDIs yet, but if anyone is interested in the tune, let me know, and I'll let you hear it. ~SWO~ Desert Wind © 1985 Sonja W. Oates Chorus: Desert Wind, take me high into the Rockies. Whirring wheels, wind your way Over California's craggy plains. Carry this sea-level soul To that mile-high city, where I know, Just like the mountain mornin' breakin', Good times there for me are waitin'. Take me hi-igh-er, Desert Wind train. I'm keepin' time With that lazy, swayin' motion, As the train gently rocks, Five hundred train wheels roll, Amblin' over A grainy yellow ocean, Sunlight spinnin' prairie straw to gold. Sunbeams bouncin' Off the coach's dusty windows Mirror all the passengers Reflectin' as they ride. Lightnin' strikin' The sand dunes at random Strikes anticipation deep inside. Repeat chorus. |
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16 Jul 02 - 12:30 AM (#748667) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Ebbie Guest/Sonja, I can almost hear the rocking, rumbling car! Good one. |
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16 Jul 02 - 02:32 PM (#749056) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: beadie Even though it got sort of over-commercialized, there hasn't been a really great train song since Steve Goodman wrote the "City of New Orleans." |
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16 Jul 02 - 02:49 PM (#749070) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Genie ...at least not one that's well known. There are so many great folk song writers out there whose work never gets much air play. Who knows what train song gems are being sung to small crowds at local coffeehouses and bars...? |
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17 Jul 02 - 11:26 AM (#749689) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: SharonA There's John Prine's "Paradise" ("Mr. Peabody's coal train has hauled it away"), but maybe that's not the upbeat kind of song you had in mind... |
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17 Jul 02 - 11:49 AM (#749690) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: SharonA CHOO CHOO CH'BOOGIEbr> ON THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND THE SANTA FE CANADIAN RAILROAD TRILOGY (Gordon Lightfoot) STEEL RAIL BLUES (Gordon Lightfoot) – has that great vocal part between verses that the audience can "yippee-yi-yay" along with! |
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17 Jul 02 - 12:07 PM (#749691) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: SharonA Oops; sorry for the sloppy HTML. "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" and "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" are two separate songs! Lessee, now, there's also "Me and Bobby McGee", if you want to stretch a point ("Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin' for a train..."). And how about Pete Morton's song, ANOTHER TRAIN ("There's another train, there always is . Maybe the next one is yours. Get up and climb aboard another train")? |
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17 Jul 02 - 12:54 PM (#749717) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Genie Here's one by Greg Brown, The Train Carrying Jimmie Rodgers Home
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17 Jul 02 - 01:18 PM (#749727) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Dave Swan Two Feet Ahead of the Train, by Michael McNevin. I'm slogging through transcribing the words now, and will post them soon. You can find it on his very worthwhile CD called Sketch. |
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17 Jul 02 - 03:51 PM (#749843) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Genie Not very new, but there's "Peace Train" by Cat Stevens. |
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17 Jul 02 - 04:21 PM (#749866) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: SharonA Oh yes, and don't forget IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HOUSE – there's a good singalong song! "The railroad comes through the middle of the house, the railroad comes through the middle of the house, the trains all come through the middle of the house since the company bought the land." |
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18 Jul 02 - 06:43 AM (#750268) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Dan Calder Guysborough Train - Stan Rogers Now there's no train to Guysborough, Or so the man said, So it might be a good place to be... I sit in this station, And I count up my change, And I wait for the Guysborough train... Dan |
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18 Jul 02 - 11:15 AM (#750447) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Bobert You'll find a wealth of train songs done by the prewar bluesmen. Might of fact, there are references to trains in lots of old blues songs that aren't specificlly "train songs". Son House's "Empire State Express" is an excellent train song. He talks about the train as if it had a life of its own. "Let me tell ya what a low down train can do. Take your woman away and chunk black smoke at you..." "M & O Blues", I believe Willie Brown wrote is another good one. These songs, though usually played in open tunings with bottlenecks can also be played in standard tuning with 1st position chords. I've written a couple of train songs myself and would be more than happy to send you a tape of a couple with tabs if you like. Just send me a PM. Bobert |
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18 Jul 02 - 12:29 PM (#750505) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Mark Ross Larry Penn has written a great song about Kate Shelley. You can reach him at cookeman@execpc.com. Also check out his website. Another great train song is Utah Phillips' GIVE ME A TRAIN WITH AN ALL-NIGHT BAR. It was recorded by Rosalie Sorrels. MArk Ross |
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18 Jul 02 - 12:49 PM (#750522) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: tar_heel how about doc watson's GREENVILLE TRESSEL HIGH..? (1)i remember as a lad,all the good times i had... i'd sit and watch the trains go by... and the whistles' lonesome sound... you could hear for miles around... as she rolled across thst greenville tressel high... (chorus) but the whistle doesnt sound like it used to... lately,not many trains go by... hard times across the land,mean no work for a railroad man... and the greenville tressel now don't seem so high... (2)on the river bank i'd stand... with a cane pole in my hand... i'd watch the frieght trains up against the sky... with the black smoke trailing back... as she rolled along the track... she'd roll across that greenville tressel high... (3)when the lonesome whistle whines... i'd get rambin on my mind... lord,i wished they still sounded that way... as she turns and heads for home... lord she'd rumble on and on... towards the sunset at the break of day... there you go...hope you can use it... sincerely,chuck hemrick...aka,tarheel |
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18 Jul 02 - 09:35 PM (#750794) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Malachy Thought about Burl Ives' 'Runaway Train'..but that seemed a bit naff. 'Tulsa Queen'..Emylou Harris? |
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15 Jan 11 - 05:15 PM (#3075333) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: GUEST Who wrote the song with the lyrics... Shoulder to shoulder and back to back Longer than the rails on a railroad track Big ones, little ones ain't had time to grow Nobody knows the lies you've told I've been looking for this forever and found someone who posted those lyrics on here...please help! |
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16 Jan 11 - 04:27 PM (#3075880) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: Mark Clark I remember Dave Prine and Tyler Wilson (The National Recovery Act) years ago talking about the great old train songs and why nobody is writing new ones. In the old days the train was "coming down the grade making ninety miles an hour." These days trains are moving about thirty-five miles an hour down a long straight track. They get halfway down the track and just fall off. How can you write a song about that? - Mark |
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16 Jan 11 - 07:38 PM (#3076002) Subject: RE: Need a New Train Song! From: GUEST,Katherine The name of the artist is Larry Penn. He's pretty amazing. |