Ah, yes; I well remember this one from the late fifties. There is one line in it that raises doubts–“…and the trains are always on time.”
There was a song about the Rock Island that came out in the early fifties–which declared that the eastbound train was on a westbound track and the northbound train was on a southbound track. Knowing the routes of the Rock Island, I knew such was possible.
The only lyrics I could find this morning with mention of track direction was sung by Johnny Cash (and he did not know where the road went), but there is no mention of eastbound/westbound.
A couple of favorites of mine: “… Mystery Train…” By Elvis from early stuff in the 1950’s and then there was “…Frankfort Special…” after he came back from Germany '60’s. The one I wish he had done was an old gospel song: “…Glory Train…” . Never heard him do more than just a few bars, but you knew what it was when he was humming it. [8D]
“He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack Go sit beneath the tree by the railroad track Oh, the engineers would see him sitting in the shade Strumming with the rhythm that the drivers made People passing by they would stop and say Oh my that little country boy could play…”
Johnny B Goode By Chuck Berry
In other words, the sound of a steam locomotive is rock n roll! (or vice versa!)
Chorus:
“Did he ever return,
No he never returned
And his fate is still unlearn’d
He may ride forever
'neath the streets of Boston
He’s the man who never returned.”
Blue Ridge Institute Museum says:
Train wrecks occurred relatively frequently at the time, and it was the ballad which sustained this accident’s national fame. “The Wreck of the Old 97” was initially recorded commercially by Virginia musicians G. B. Grayson and Henry Whitter, but when it was released by light-opera singer Vernon Dalhart, it became the first million-selling record in the United States. http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/old97.html
On one cloudless morning I stood on the mountain,
Just watching the smoke from below,
It was coming from a tall, slim smokestack
Way down on the Southern railroad.
It was 97, the fastest train
Ever ran the Southern line,
All the freight trains and passengers take the side for 97,
For she’s bound to be at stations on time.
They gave him his orders at Monroe, Virginia,
Saying, “Stevie, you’re way behind time.
This is not 38, but it’s Old 97,
You must put her into Spencer on time.”
I always thought Dalhart wrote the song, so I’m glad to see Grayson and Whitter get the credit. And I’ve never seen the full text of the lyrics before. Joe Brody (nicknamed Steve) was properly immortalized.
Tom
P.S. I’m always amused when I hear more modern singers who have learned the song from the Dalhart version. Instead of “lost his air brakes”, they often say “lost his average” because Dalhart’s pronunciation is a bit misleading.
“Charley’s wife goes down
To the Scollay Square station
Every day at quarter past two
And through the open window
She hands Charley a sandwich
As the train comes rumblin’ through.”
The Kingston Trio had a huge hit record on rock’n’roll radio, Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley, which more or less made it possible for them to sell other songs, like M.T.A., on the Ed Sullivan Show. It seems the basic tune of M.T.A. is actually 40 years older than the Old 97.
