Freight Train Blues

steve

Friday, November 2nd, 2012

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¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 Commentary

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 According to  “Stacy William’s” liner notes for Dylan’s first album, Dylan learned this song from an old Roy Acuff record. Williams was a pen name used by New York Times critic and Dylan biographer Robert Shelton, who made a little spending cash writing liner notes for folk recordings. Acuff was a very popular country singer, and a regular performer at the Grand Ole Opry. Another of Dylan’s early heroes, Hank Williams, also recorded this song.

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¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 0 Dylan performs the song at a faster tempo and with greater exuberance than Acuff. He also shows off his yodeling talents and his falsetto voice. At one point he holds a note – according to a rec.music.dylan poster – for 14 seconds. Wow!

¶ 7 Leave a comment on paragraph 7 1 Dylan has never  played the song live.

¶ 8 Leave a comment on paragraph 8 0 Lot’s of other people have.

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¶ 12 Leave a comment on paragraph 12 0 The more popular song with the same title.

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¶ 15 Leave a comment on paragraph 15 0 A spirited version  by Johnny Duncan from 1957.

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¶ 17 Leave a comment on paragraph 17 0 Lyrics

¶ 18 Leave a comment on paragraph 18 0 I was born in Dixie in a boomer shed
Just a little shanty by the railroad track
Freight train was it taught me how to cry
The holler of the driver was my lullaby
I got the freight train blues
Oh Lord mama, I got them in the bottom of my rambling shoes
And when the whistle blows I gotta go baby, don’t you know
Well, it looks like I’m never gonna lose the freight train blues.

¶ 19 Leave a comment on paragraph 19 0 Well, my daddy was a fireman and my mama-ha
She was the only daugther of an enginer
My sweetheart was a brakeman and it ain’t no joke
Seems a waste to get a good man broke
I got the freight train blues
Oh Lord mama, I got them in the bottom of my rambling shoes
And when the whistle blows I gotta go mama, don’t you know
Well, it looks like I’m never gonna lose the freight train blues.

¶ 20 Leave a comment on paragraph 20 0 Well, the only thing that makes me laugh again
Is a southbound whistle on a southbound train
Every place I wanna go I never can go
Because you know I got the freight train blues
Oh Lord mama, I got them in the bottom of my rambling shoes.