Duke Ellington’s “Happy Go Lucky Local”
Holy jeez, how could I have forgotten Duke Ellington’s “Take the ‘A’ Train”? OK. it’s about the subway, but it’s still a train!
Hi folks
Uh-m … what about this song
By the time I get to Phenix …
Well , I think it doesn’t really say if he travels by rail or by road - although I have always felt for some reason it’s by rail - let’s see , the lyrics vary slightly …
By The Time I Get To Phoenix - Frank Sinatra
By the time I get to she’ll be rising.
She’ll find the note I left hanging on her door.
She’ll laugh when she reads the part that says I’m leaving
`Cause I’ve left that girl so many times before.
While the song is lyrical - I don’t believe it denotes the route of any particular train. Looking to some old Official Guide timings & routing’s … While the SP’s Eastbound Sunset Limited departed Phoenix in the 6 AM range, it did not operate via Albuquerque. The Santa Fe’s Eastbound Super Chief did call there about 1 PM and neither train had a routing through Oklahoma, with the Super Chief heading through Colorado & Kansas and the Sunset moving through Texas. So I would guess the route might be US 66, a road which has had a number of other songs written about it.
[quote user=“Juniatha”]
Hi folks
Uh-m … what about this song
By the time I get to Phenix …
Well , I think it doesn’t really say if he travels by rail or by road - although I have always felt for some reason it’s by rail - let’s see , the lyrics vary slightly …
By The Time I Get To Phoenix - Frank Sinatra
A song about the WP&Y RR by Hank Karr:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOkbyueLfWI&feature=related
“Life is like a Mountain Railroad” by Patsy Cline
@ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9rwNQAeQgg&NR=1 ( WP&Y)
or this featuring an LMS (6114) Steam also by Patsy Cline:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wck03Y72340&feature=related
Or This :“Silverton” by C.W.McCall:
@ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a_19VDqQgo&feature=related
Here’s one I’ll bet no one’s ever heard before. It’s called “Hey Engineer” (they don’t write 'em like this anymore):
Hey engineer, is this train goin’ south
Back to that Mason-Dixon line
Hey engineer, is this train goin’, south
Back to that honeysuckle wine
Hey engineer, is this train going south
Back to my old stompin’ grounds
Hey engineer, if this train’s goin’ south
For God’s sake, turn it around
Why don’t they sing about Jersey
Where the sun is shinin’ all the
When I first heard this song, I was a little boy growing up in the NY tri-state area. Though it was a sad song and he was heading out on a bus. To me, the only train was the Phoebe Snow and she didn’t run that far west!
Here’s another obscure train song (not a novelty number like “Hey Engineer”). It’s done as an Irish jig. The UP Chorale did a recording of it a couple of years ago.
FILLIMIOORIOORIA
VERSE 1
In eighteen hundred and forty one
I put me corduroy breaches on
I put me corduroy breaches on
To work upon the railway
REFRAIN
Fillimiooriooria, Fillimiooriooria
Hi folks
Uh-well – about the Phoenix song we were all wrong : No trains , nor Route sixty-six , no bus – it was by airplane ( and that would also appear to better fit the time table , no ?) At least this looks like a window viewed from inside a jet plane – see at in