Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American FolksongImpeccable scholarship and lavish illustration mark this landmark study of American railroad folksong. Norm Cohen provides a sweeping discussion of the human aspects of railroad history, railroad folklore, and the evolution of the American folksong. The heart of the book is a detailed analysis of eighty-five songs, from "John Henry" and "The Wabash Cannonball" to "Hell-Bound Train" and "Casey Jones," with their music, sources, history, and variations, and discographies. A substantial new introduction updates this edition. |
Contents
The Railway Cars Are Coming A Brief History of the Railroads in the United States | 3 |
Americas Music Written and Recorded | 21 |
Railroad March to City of New Orleans A Sesquicentennial of Railroad Songs | 39 |
Heroes and Badmen | 58 |
John Henry | 61 |
Jim Fisk | 90 |
Jesse James | 97 |
Cole Younger | 117 |
Hobo Bills Last Ride | 393 |
In a Boxcar around the World | 397 |
Ive Got the Railroad Blues | 400 |
KC RailroadKC Moan | 406 |
Cannonball BluesWhitehouse Blues | 413 |
The Train That Carried My Girl from Town | 426 |
That Lonesome Train Took My Baby Away | 431 |
Special AgentRailroad Police Blues | 435 |
Railroad Bill | 122 |
Casey Jones | 132 |
Ben Dewberrys Final Run | 158 |
J C Holmes Blues | 163 |
The Crime of the DAutremont Brothers | 166 |
The Fatal Run | 169 |
The Fatal Run | 181 |
The Wreck on the C OEngine 143 | 183 |
The Wreck of the Old 97 | 197 |
The New Market Wreck | 227 |
Billy Richardsons Last Ride | 232 |
The Wreck of the C O Number Five | 236 |
The Wreck of the 1256 | 240 |
The Freight Wreck at AltoonaThe Wreck of the 1262 | 243 |
The Wreck of the Royal Palm | 247 |
The Wreck of the Virginian Number Three | 250 |
The Wreck of Number Four | 254 |
The True and Trembling Brakeman | 257 |
The Little Red Caboose behind the Train I | 261 |
The Wreck of the C O Sportsman | 264 |
The Wreck of Number Nine | 267 |
Asleep at the Switch | 275 |
Asleep at the Switch | 276 |
Bill Mason | 282 |
Papas Billy GoatRosenthals Goat | 288 |
Hes Coming to Us Dead | 296 |
Hes Coming to Us Dead | 300 |
In the Baggage Coach Ahead | 304 |
Going for a PardonThe Eastbound Train | 316 |
Please Mr ConductorThe Lightning Express | 321 |
The Red arid Green Signal LightsThe Engineers Child | 326 |
Jim Blakes Message | 332 |
29 | 338 |
The Evening Train | 341 |
In a Boxcar around the World | 343 |
Because He Was Only a Tramp | 347 |
The Poor Tramp Has to Live | 351 |
Waiting for a TrainWild and Reckless Hobo | 355 |
The Dying Hobo | 367 |
The Wabash Cannonball | 373 |
The Little Red Caboose behind the Train II | 382 |
Milwaukee Blues | 385 |
The Railroad Boomer | 390 |
How Long How Long Blues | 437 |
The Southern Blues | 441 |
I Hate That Train Called the M O | 444 |
Freight Train Blues I | 446 |
Railroad Blues I | 450 |
Train Whistle Blues | 452 |
Railroad Blues II | 456 |
A Railroader for Me | 459 |
A Railroader for Me | 461 |
New River Train | 466 |
The Rock Island Line | 472 |
The Midnight Special | 478 |
On the Dummy Line | 485 |
The Longest TrainIn The Pines | 491 |
Reubens TrainTrain 45900 Miles | 503 |
Blow Yo Whistle Freight Train | 519 |
Freight Train | 521 |
Freight Train Blues II | 524 |
Railroading on the Great Divide | 528 |
Working on the Railroad | 530 |
Ive Been Working on the Railroad | 537 |
Jerry Go Ile That Car | 543 |
Paddy Works on the Railway | 547 |
Drill Ye Tarriers Drill | 553 |
Way Out in Idaho | 560 |
The Night Express | 567 |
Nine Pound Hammer | 571 |
The Little Red Caboose behind the Train III | 583 |
The Virginian Strike of 23 | 591 |
Lifes Railway to Heaven | 596 |
Im Going Home to Die No MoreThe Railway Spiritualized | 605 |
Lifes Railway to Heaven | 611 |
The Gospel Train Is ComingGet on Board | 619 |
Little Black Train | 625 |
This TrainSame Train | 629 |
When the Train Comes Along | 633 |
The Gospel Cannonball | 636 |
The HellBound Train | 638 |
Worksongs and Instrumental | 645 |
Recommended Albums of Railroad Songs | 652 |
Bibliography | 659 |
| 691 | |
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Common terms and phrases
album American Archie Green ballad Banjo Billy Bluegrass Boys brakeman broadside Brothers Cannonball Carson Carter Family Casey Jones Charlie Chicago Chorus City Cohen Cole Younger Collection Columbia copyrighted Country Music Cowboy Decca early engineer fireman Folk Music folksong Folkways Frank Freight Train George gonna Gordon Gospel guitar hillbilly recording Hobo Jesse James Jimmie Rodgers John Henry LC AFS Leadbelly Little Red Caboose Lomax Miles Mountain Negro never North Carolina OKeh Original Key piece Pines poem popular Press printed published rail Railroad Bill Railroad Blues Railroad Songs Railway RCA Victor reissues Released Reuben Rhythm ride road Robison Rock Island Roy Acuff RRManM sheet music Sing singer Southern stanza story sung track tradition Train 45 Tramp transcribed tune Vernon Dalhart verse Virginia vocal Vocalion West whistle Whitter Wreck York