Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases three early examples of the song "Rock Island Line". The featured examples are Kelly Pace and other men [prison inmates] (1934), unnamed men [prison inmates] (1939), and Lead Belly (1944). The lyrics to those renditions of this song are included in this post.
The content of this post are presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composers of these songs. Thanks also to all those featured in these examples. And thanks to the sound file and video producers and publishers of these examples on YouTube.
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FEATURED EXAMPLES & LYRICS
These examples are presented in chronological order based on their recording dates with the oldest dated example given first.
Example 1: Original 1934 John Lomax recording of 'Rock Island Line' by Kelly Pace and Prisoners
Jan Tak, Uploaded on Sep 10, 2011
In 1934 John Lomax with the help of Huddie Ledbetter (Lead Belly) made the first two recordings of "Rock Island Line", a song that would become world-famous later. A tall tale in rhyme, the song's subject is a train so fast that it arrives at its destination in Little Rock (at 8:49) before its departure from Memphis (at "half past nine").
They arrived in Arkansas in late September and worked first in Little Rock and then at the Tucker and Cummins prison farms to the south. In recording the second version they for the first time encountered Kelly Pace - a petty criminal but an outstanding prison singer. (Pace would eventually contribute more than thirty performances to the Library of Congress archives.)
Lomax made additional recording trips to Arkansas prisons in 1939 and 1942, unaccompanied by Ledbetter. Pace was a free man at the time of the 1939 visit, but Lomax collected a third version of "The Rock Island Line," this time in Cummins Prison. Listen to that recording here: http://youtu.be/5qWpAgoJHUk
By 1942, Pace was back in stir, sent up for forty-two years for stealing a car, and once again he was the star, performing some twenty-six songs as a soloist or member of a larger group. One of these is a fourth performance of "The Rock Island Line," the last version collected in Arkansas by Lomax.
In the meantime Ledbetter immediately recognized the potential of the tune and eventually played a major role in making it famous. He recorded it many times, first for folksong collectors at the Library of Congress in 1937 and later for commercial labels (RCA Victor in 1940 and Capitol in 1944, among others).
LYRICS- ROCK ISLAND LINE
Chorus:
Soloist -I said the Rock Island Line
Group - Is a mighty good road
Soloist - I said the Rock Island Line
Group- Is the road to ride
Soloist - I said the Rock Island Line
Group- Is a mighty good road
All : If you want to ride, you gotta ride like you find it
Buy your ticket at the station on the Rock Island Line
Soloist #1 - Well Jesus died to save me all of my sins
Soloist #2 - Well a glory to God we gonna meet Him again
Chorus [2x]
Well the train left Memphis at half past nine
It made it to Little Rock at eight forty nine
Chorus [2x]
Soloist #1 - Well Jesus died to save me all of my sins
Soloist #2 - Well a glory to God we gonna meet Him again
Chorus [2x]
Transcription by Azizi Powell from this recording. Additions and corrections are welcome.
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Example #2: Original 1939 John and Ruby Lomax recording - Rock Island Line
Jan Tak Uploaded on Jun 27, 2011
Between March 31, 1939 and June 14, 1939 John Avery Lomax and his wife Ruby Terrill Lomax recorded approximately 25 hours of folk music (from more than 300 performers) in their "Southern States Recording Trip" for the US Library of Congress. This is one of the original recordings of "Rock Island Line", which later became famous through singers like Kelly Pace, Leadbelly, and Lonnie Donegan.
-snip-
*Thanks to slam 2011 for her possible transcription of the lines that are sung from 1:03 to 1:09:
"'Oh we have engine now an' fireman too/We got a (purty good -?) an' a brakeman too'".
Update: June 30, 2016. Thanks to Julia Glanville for her transcription of this line as "We got pretty good porters and brakeman too". Read the rest of Julia's comment below.
LYRICS - ROCK ISLAND LINE
Chorus:
Soloist -Oh the Rock Island Line
Group - Is a mighty good road
Soloist - Oh the Rock Island Line
Group- Is the road to ride
Soloist - Oh the Rock Island Line
Group- Is a mighty good road
All : If you want to ride, you gotta ride like you find
Buy your ticket at the station on the Rock Island Line
[repeat the entire chorus]
Soloist #1 - Oh the saints got the message just on time
Soloist #2 - It be leavin' at the depot at a eight forty nine
Chorus [2x]
Soloist #1: Oh we have an engine and a fireman too
Soloist #2: We got pretty good porters and brakeman too.
Chorus [2x]
Soloist #1 - Oh, Jesus died to save me all of my sins
Soloist #2 - Oh well a glory to God we gonna meet Him again
Chorus [2x]
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell from this recording. Additions and corrections are welcome.
The word "saints" in the line "oh the saints got the message" etc." refers to members of the church.
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Example #3: Roots of Blues -- Lead Belly Rock Island Line"
Slowtubbi, Uploaded on Jul 18, 2008
Recorded: 1944
Huddie William Ledbetter, (January, 1888 -- December 6, 1949) was an American folk and blues musician, notable for his clear and forceful singing, his virtuosity on the twelve string guitar, and the rich songbook of folk standards he introduced.
He is best known as Leadbelly or Lead Belly. Though many releases list him as "Leadbelly," he himself spelled it "Lead Belly." This is also the usage on his tombstone, as well as the Lead Belly Foundation.
-snip-
LYRICS: ROCK ISLAND LINE
(as performed by Lead Belly)
[Chorus]
Oh that Rock Island Line is a mighty good road,
Oh that Rock Island Line is that road to ride,
Oh that Rock Island Line is a mighty good road,
If you want to ride, you got to ride it like you find it,
Get your ticket at the station on the Rock Island Line.
Jesus died to save our sins--hooray to God,
We're going to meet him again!
[Chorus]
Oh that Rock Island Line is a mighty good road,
Oh that Rock Island Line is that road to ride,
Oh that Rock Island Line is a mighty good road
I may be right and I may be wrong,
You are going to miss me when I'm gone!
[Chorus]
Oh that Rock Island Line is a mighty good road,
Oh that Rock Island Line is that road to ride,
Oh that Rock Island Line is a mighty good road
A, B, C, W, X, Y and Z
Cats in the cupboard, but they don't see me!
[Chorus]
Oh that Rock Island Line is a mighty good road,
Oh that Rock Island Line is that road to ride,
Oh that Rock Island Line is a mighty good road
Source: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/l/leadbelly/rock+island+line_20302510.html
-snip-
ADDED July 1, 2016
The verse beginning with "A.B.C" is a version of an old English nursery rhyme called "Great A, little a, Bouncing B". According to http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=1574&c=116 "The earliest version in print of that rhyme goes back to 1744". That page features an example of that rhyme in Southern African American dialect and that same version's standard English words. Several other examples from England are found on http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=1574&c=116
My guess is that the "Great A, little a, Bouncing B" rhyme pattern may have (probably unknowingly) inspired Jay Z's 2001 Hip Hop song "Izzo" (H.O.V.A)- "H to the Izz-o, V to the Izz-A ", although most people hearing that line probably think it sounds like an example of "Pig Latin". Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_Latin for information about Pig Latin.
A similar form of the rhyming pattern that Jay Z used for his "Izzo" (H.O.V.A.) songs was used in a couple of chants by the comedic Black character "Starrkeisha". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-starrkeisha-cheer-squad-petty-cheer.html for a pancocojams post on the Starrkeisha "Petty" Cheer".
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Visitor comments are welcome.
Those lines at 1:03 to 1:09, could they be 'Oh we have engine now an' fireman too/We got a (purty good -?) an' a brakeman too'
ReplyDeleteThanks slam2011 for that possible transcription of those lines in Example #2. That sounds like a good possibility. I added that transcription to the post with an asterisk to my note attributing it to you.
DeleteI'm pretty sure they sing "Pretty good PORTERS and brakeman too" But porters are in the passenger cars... there are great porter songs too and the Pullman Porters were a powerful group who organized and brought black newspapers from the north to southern black readers who wouldn't get them otherwise. As in the chain gang song "Early in the Mornin'" "Well I used to be a porter on the South bound train..."
ReplyDeleteSorry, not "Early in the Morning" I have to go back and listen to the work songs... Does anyone know the name of song I'm talking about? "Captain, captain, don't you know my name? I'm the same Damn porter stole your watch and chain."
DeleteThanks, Julia Glanville for your help in transcribing the lyrics for the early version of "Rock Island Line" that is given in this post as Example #2.
DeleteI added that transcription to the post. Thanks also for your comments about how important the Pullman Porters were in sharing black newspapers from the north to southern black readers. One of those newspapers was "The Pittsburgh Courier". I learned about that history after moving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Courier is still published but I think that unfortunately that newspaper, like many other newspapers, is but a faint shadow of itself in influence and content. :o(
You're welcome. I love this history, so glad it got recorded in various forms and can still resonate, as we all need as Dr. King called it, to communicate and express our "creative maladjustment." In other words artful resistance living. Too bad about the Pittsburgh Courier... maybe I'll see about subscribing.
DeleteAny chance Rock Island Line's preamble lyrics will go up to? the call: "Ive got goats, I've got horses..." from the train and the "thank you" or in other cases "fooled you" response? This part resonates with other train/ work songs that start with a base beat (sounds slow), like a train's initial chugging and then picks up or switches up the pace as it goes on by adding the back beat (or the other hammer). This relational way of singing and working connects to work songs globally and throughout time be they food pounding or steel driving... Starting with the call "Ive got..." song combines the lyrical and rhythmic call and response- so great!
Thanks again!
Hi Julia, thanks to your comments, I revisited this page and made much needed corrections to my transcriptions of Example #1 & #2.
DeleteI'm not sure which preamble lyrics you are referring to.
I think the relational way of singing and working you mentioned is known as "call & response".
Thanks!
Found it- the porter lyrics are in Dollar Mamie, from Lomax recordings at Parchman (Mississippi State Pen) 9/59 [Carter, James][Lewis, Ed][Mason, Henry][Moore, Johnny Lee]
ReplyDeletehttp://research.culturalequity.org/rc-b2/audio-ix-recording.jsp?d-446288-p=2
Here's that hyperlink:
Deletehttp://research.culturalequity.org/rc-b2/audio-ix-recording.jsp?d-446288-p=2
Each time I visit the page it says that the server is down. I'll keep trying.
try this:
ReplyDeletehttp://research.culturalequity.org/rc-b2/get-audio-detailed-recording.do?recordingId=4245
if that does not work try http://research.culturalequity.org/rc-b2/home-audio.jsp
with Dollar Mamie in the search field - it's the 2nd Dollar Mamie at Camp B
The first link worked. Here's that hyperlink: http://research.culturalequity.org/rc-b2/get-audio-detailed-recording.do?recordingId=4245
DeleteAnd here's a link for a pancocojams post on "Old Dollar Mamie" that I just published: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/07/two-examples-of-prison-work-song-old.html. That post has two YouTube sound files and song lyrics that were posted in a post about that song on Mudcat folk music forum.
I hat tipped you in that post.
Thanks again, Julia!