lee@rochester.arpa (Lee Moore) (01/20/86)
Earlier somebody asked about folk songs relating to railroads. Recently, I re-discovered a record entitled: "The Railroad in Folksong", RCA LVP 532 which was released in 1966. It contains 16 songs that were written between 1870 and 1940. The songs were records by various people at between the years 1928 and 1940. The list of performers includes the Carter Family, J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers, and the Monroe Brothers. The songs are: Orange Blossom Special (w/ words) The Train's Done Left Me Engine One Forty Three Jerry, Go Ile that Car If I Die a Railroad Man The Wreck of the Virginian Nine Pound Hammer is too Heavy The Davis Limited The Cannon Ball The Longest Train Wreck of the Old 97 The Red & Green Signal Light Peanut Special Crime of the D'Autremont Brothers McAbee's Railroad Piece The Little Red Caboose behind the Train Note that some songs like "The Train's (Train Has) Done Left Me" are really about the effect of having a railroad in a community rather than actually being on a railroad train. Missing from this list are at least two classic railroad songs: Casey Jones and Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill. (not to mention the child's song "I've Been Working on the Railroad") -=lee
Chuck.Weinstock@a.sei.cmu.edu (01/20/86)
There is a recent book about railroad folk songs "Scalded To Death by the Steam" by Katie Letcher Lyle, an Algonquin Book published in 1983. In it are the historical facts behind many of the folksongs mentioned in Lee's previous message.