Today’s post was written by Paul.
Along with the description for the first video in this year’s train series, I intended to drop a hint for what the second song would be, but I forgot.
My hint was going to be that the song was widely recorded and was among the most popular songs for a country singer who was the primary musical influence for Hank Snow.
Jimmy Rodgers was also the primary influence for Ernest Tubb. If you are able to hear the first recordings of Snow and Tubb, they sound very much like Rodgers. The same is true for Gene Autry. They even tried to yodel like him.
This song brings up two memories from my childhood, both involving Pap. The first one is when I tried to sing the opening lines of this song in his vicinity. This was well before I started playing guitar or singing with any serious effort. I had simply heard the beginning of the song somewhere and took a stab and singing it to myself I sang, “All around the water tank, waiting for a drink.” Pap turned and looked at me and asked, “What did you say?” Without answering him, I just sang the line again as: “All around the water tank, waiting for a train.” He kind of nodded and went back to what he was doing.
The truth was, I wasn’t sure which word was supposed to go there. I reasoned that if people were waiting around a water tank, they could be waiting for a drink…” In re-singing the line with “train,” I thought the two words were close enough that he would give me the benefit of the doubt and conclude that I sang it right the first time. 🙂 I didn’t know any other part of the song, so I guess it didn’t matter anyway. I stopped right after that line and just went to humming.
The second memory stirred by the song has to do with the second verse, where Rodgers wrote, “my pocketbook is empty.” Pap and I were wading out into the Hiwassee River, just below Clay’s Corner. We were fishing. He slipped on a rock and nearly went under. After regaining his balance, he said, “Nearly lost my pocketbook,” referring to his wallet. I laughed and said, “Daddy, that’s your billfold, not a pocketbook. Women carry pocketbooks.” He said, “really?” It folds up like a book and goes in my pocket…” I stood there pondering this, stumped.
I don’t know about where you live, but here, the bag that women carry around the shoulder is often called a pocketbook, though “purse” has pretty well replaced the term, and I don’t hear “pocketbook” for a lady’s bag nearly as often as I did when I was a kid. It’s funny how words in English have changed and been used differently over time, not always increasing in accuracy (as Pap pointed out with regard to “pocketbook”).
Rodgers’ second verse seems to point to some degree of corruption and unkindness in the brakeman. This is ironic, given that he worked as a brakeman himself. Maybe he felt a little guilty about having chased off a hobo at some time or other.
Like the last train song, Tipper and Corie were really just learning this song when this video was shot, so there are a few little missed chord changes, etc., but overall, this first take has the best feel of any of the takes that we attempted. For some reason, the audio turned out garbled. You can especially hear it in the guitar break, and the audio is slightly behind the video, but hopefully, it does justice to this great train song overall.
The next song in the series might very well be an original, so I can’t really drop any hints to foreshadow it.
For the last one, I’m thinking of turning the song over to some professionals and not playing myself. This may be an unpopular approach among the acorns out there, but it will give me the opportunity to introduce you to what I think is one of the greatest train songs of all time, and it’s a fairly new song. It will also, hopefully, give me the opportunity to analyze the song and explain why I think it’s a masterpiece. Anyway, we’ll see how or if all that works out, Lord willing. Thanks for watching and for reading all this!
Today’s Thankful November giveaway is a copy of our “Lamp Lighting Time” cd. It’s never been opened, but the case is cracked. Leave a comment on this post to be entered. *Giveaway ends November 17, 2022.
Paul
I think ‘ol’ Jimmy’ would of right proud of that rendition! Great job in a traditional sound.
There are not any trains in my town of Chillicothe Ohio anymore but there is in Nelsonville. At the end of the line it takes you to a village recreated by the Hocking College students. They are dressed in old time clothing, doing demonstrations of the old ways. I am definitely going to take my granddaughters there to ride it.
My dad was a sign painter and I remember as a child going out back to his shop and he always had a cassette of jimmie rodgers playing. He loved “The singing brakeman”. I especially remember Blue Yodel No 9, Miss the Mississippi and You and In the Jailhouse Now. He loved to hear him sing! I don’t really remember Waiting for a Train but I enjoyed hearing all of you singing.
That is some mighty fine pickin and grinning. Love that song. I call mine a pocketbook too.
This made me start thinking about my favorite train song and boy it’s hard to pick! So many great choices. I really like “Midnight train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and the pips. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a train song I didn’t like though. By the way, I always call my purse a pocketbook
I call mine a billfold even when I have a trifold one. My wife carries a little zippered thing that I can hide in my hand. Does that make it a ‘handbag’? I always enjoy the music and can’t hear the mistakes even when Paul tells us what and where they are.
I like “Waiting…” but i don’t like jimmie’s shrill intro on the original. Hobo life must have been really hard.
long black train please!
I think you all did a wonderful job on that song, and I still call that bag that I carry a pocketbook. 😉
My money is on Long Black Train’ and while I don’t mean that I’m not a great fan of Paul’s voice and pickin’, I think it has to be sung by Josh Turner.
My favorite train song is the Wreck of the Old 97 because my Pa sang it to me as a lap baby and to all his grandkids. I’m sure the song is older than Hank Snow’s rise to fame and fortune, but I don’t know who made it popular. I suspect it came out before radio and was a sheet music favorite sung when folks got together. Long Black Train almost equals it and would be my favorite it Pa had known and sung it.
Tipper, I really like the new ‘furniture.’ Is the search feature new or was I just too blind to see it in the old ‘front room?’ Thank you for all you do to educate and entertain us. Pass those thanks on to Paul and Katie and Corie and Matt! And, the next time you see Granny Hicks, give her a hug from an old feller in Texas that admires her and her interviews with you.
Blessings to all . . .
Robert-the search was there, but good to know it’s easier to see now 🙂
I really enjoyed this singing this morning. You all did a great job. I had seen in one of the other posts the man liked Long Black Train. My husband’s uncle sings it at church. Can paul sing and play that one I would love to win the cd and I sure will be sharing it. Thanks Tipper.
I’ve always loved old train songs or anything train related as a kid. When I was very young my dad used to sing several train related songs while rocking me on his lap. The ones I remember the best were “Life’s Railroad to Heaven”, “In the Baggage Coach Ahead” & “Wreck of The Old 97”.
I also remember in the late 50’s early 60’s time period of a favorite TV show called “Casey Jones”.
And in the small community of Colliers, WV, just across Harmen Creek from our home was the train track. I remember late at night I’d be in bed with the windows opened unable to sleep and a slow moving freight train would be passing thru. That sound would lull me to sleep every time.
And speaking of Yodeling. My dad used to yodel when he sang the song “Thompson Had an Old Grey Mule” otherwise known as “The Yodeling Mule”.
Regarding using the word Pocketbook when speaking of a man’s wallet, My Grandpa Shuman shared a story with his grandchildren many times. He married my Grandma Hattie Mobley in 1910. He said the morning after they got married he got out of bed, picked up her dress and his bibbed Overalls and asked “Hattie, which do you want to wear the dress or the overalls?” She looked at him kind of confused and said “Why the dress of course.” He then said to her ” Okay then, you wear the dress and I’ll wear the pants and carry the pocketbook!” I’m sure today that would be enough to send a new bride to a lawyer but this was more than a hundred years ago.
Paul I always enjoy hearing you sing. I’ve listened to the song “When You And I Were Young, Maggie” at least 50 times on Youtube but I’ve never heard it sung as beautifully as when you and your Pap sang it. Your voice reminds me of my dad’s.
Thanks so much for those kind words, Fred. Thanks for sharing the story about your grandpa and grandma. Loved it. 🙂
Good job on that old song.
My best friend said her daddy liked a song with the lines, “All around the water tank, waiting for a drink”. I will tell her to check out yall’s singing.
I love the song yall sang but never thought it might be what her daddy liked. I guess it being around the water tank made him think of drinking water. I can’t remember the workings of the old trains but I guess they needed water to make steam.
Great job on the song as always! My Dad and father-in-law always called their billfolds, pocketbooks. I never have gotten used to saying purse or handbag for myself. I call it a pocketbook, always have, always will. Have a blessed Sunday everyone!!
Great song.
Dad always called his billfold a pocket book, I never thought of it at the time but a lot of the ones his age did.
Oh Tipper, my sweet daddy called it a pocketbook too! Boy I miss him
Love the pocketbook reference. Growing up I called it my pocket book, brought back great memories.
First of all, this hapless troglodyte has figured out how to comment (I think) with things in the new format. Hallelujah!
Second, I’m guessing from his comment that Johnny Mayo grew up in Chatham, VA. I spent three years there teaching at Hargrave Military Academy, and I did a fair amount of courting of my late wife at a sort of gathering spot on White Oak Mountain.
Finally, I sure hope Paul will do “Long Black Train.” I’m a great Josh Turner fan and think he has an extraordinary voice.
I love the Christmas CD I have by Paul and Jerry. I’d like to add this one to my collection!
I think y’all played and sung that nice old tune very well.
Another “Thankful November” day here in the Florida piney woods country. A little bit cooler and cloudy, but still gonna be a great day. It’s “Homecoming” at our little church and “dinner on the grounds” after our Morning Worship Service. As with most small communities, there will some “fine eating”, today. As a small young’un in rural Kentucky, trains have always been high on my interest list; tho, in the next county, I always enjoyed seeing a listening to that magical music sound of the often large beautiful big steam engines pulling their loads. Hearing a “train song” on the radio on Saturday nights stimulated my interest. Have a great day and thanks for keeping our mountain stories alive ……
I think of that song every time I see old 1702 pulling out of Bryson City or rattling through the gorge.
I love the old songs. Your family brings back great memories of music. I would love to win the CD.
It’s good to hear yodeling again. Modern songs don’t have that anymore and I still love to hear whistling but I don’t hear songs that include it anymore. One of my favorite whistling songs says “Gonna find me a blue bird, let him sing me a song.” That’s an oldie but a goodie too. Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks to Paul I now know what we readers/commenters are. We are “acorns”! I had often wondered.
As to ” pocketbook” I recall elders in my youth, men and women, who carried a little leather ‘change purse’ with a friction clasp they called a pocketbook. Wonder if they even are made anymore. I think both my Grandpa and Grandma had one.
I wish I were an acorn, but most days I feel more like a blind pig. 🙂
I miss the yodeling and whistling too. Funny you should mention “Gonna Find Me A Bluebird”. For some reason, that song popped into my head a couple of weeks ago. When I looked it up on YouTube, it was just as I remembered it, even though it had been decades since I heard it last. Maybe Matt will do a whistling or yodeling series next.
Great way to start my day with a song and a cup of coffee. (or Postum) It sounded really good and I LOVE yodeling. That is one thing I’ve always wished I could do and admire the ability of anyone that can do it. Paul sounded so good and his picking is outstanding. You and Corie did, also. What a joy to play and pick together – so glad for you all.
As always, Paul, great singing and playing! I do like some of those train songs better than others. Chattanoga Choo Choo is one I like but also the Midnight Train to Georgia and I can hear my Mother singing, The ballad of Casey Jones. I may be out in left field but your last train song may be “That Long Black Train.” It’s a really good un!
I grew up in a very small town just north and a little west of Danville Va.. As a young child (early ’60s), I remember riding a train from my town over White Oak mountain to Danville. My memory of that event is very vague, but I do remember it was fun & I think the train ride had something to do w/ Hank Snow’s song ‘Wreak of the Old 97’. Btw…is Wreak of the Old 97 the next train song? That’s the only train song I’m familiar w/!
Johnny-great memory! Paul did that one a few years back you can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVkeu7ut86w
That sounded absolutely perfect to me! Great yodeling, Paul. More of that, please. When I was little, my mama would break out yodeling every now and then.
How cool is that…you guys do such awesome work…who cares if there is a missed or changed cord, the results are great. Love that song.
Love train songs and trains
I meant to also say in my other comment I would love having the cd, I often spend a lot of time on you tube listening to the BP&A singing the old time gospel hymns.
The gang did a good job as always with the song. A lot of people said Ernest Tubb would never die until my father in law died. Ernest was his favorite country music singer and he would sound like him when he played and sung. Around here most of the older people still say pocketbook instead of purse and I have sometimes heard a man’s billfold called a pocketbook
One of my favorite train songs is “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” written by Gordon Lightfoot.
I wonder if the next song will be Long Black Train? My favorite Train song, because of its a song about salvation!
You guys did good on this song, I love it Happy Sunday all!
There are memories of Pap all through the holler and I love your memories involving Pap, I think he’s the finest man I ever met.
Good Sunday morning!!!!
I think y’all did a mighty fine job with that train song
Love that pig on the train.
Looking forward to the next train song.
I really enjoyed hearing this song this morning. Great way to greet the first snowfall this fall
I must be nuts—but I swear I already read this someplace. Maybe it was on YT. See, I will watch/read you guys multiple times.
Karen-you’re not nuts 🙂 It was on YouTube