Rock Island Line (song)

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“Rock Island Line”
Song originally by Lead Belly
Recorded 1937
Genre Blues, Folk, Skiffle, Country
Length 2-4 minutes
Label Asch Recordings
Writer Lead Belly
Cover of the Leadbelly compilation Rock Island Line: Original 1935-1943 Recordings
Cover of the Leadbelly compilation Rock Island Line: Original 1935-1943 Recordings
Johnny Cash's 1970s album, Rock Island Line
Johnny Cash's 1970s album, Rock Island Line

"Rock Island Line" is an American blues/folk song performed and first recorded by Lead Belly in the 1930s. Versions have been recorded by other artists. While the song is ostensibly about the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, from the lyrics there is evidence that the "railroad" is actually the Underground Railroad, a slave escape route (see History).

The chorus to the old song reads:

The Rock Island Line is a mighty good road
The Rock Island Line is the road to ride
The Rock Island Line is a mighty good road
If you want to ride you gotta ride it like you find it
Get your ticket at the station for the Rock Island Line

The verses tell a humorous story about a train operator who smuggled pig iron through a toll gate by claiming all he had on board was livestock.

Contents

[edit] History

According to Harry Lewman Music,

“ Lead Belly and John and Alan Lomax supposedly first heard it from [a] prison work gang during their travels in 1934/35. It was sung a cappella. Huddie sang and performed this song, finally settling on a format where he portrayed, in song, a train engineer asking the depot agent to let his train start out on the main line.[1] ”

While it is claimed the song refers to the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, the song is considerably older than the first recording, and from some of the lyrics it can be interpreted that the "railroad" is the Underground Railroad, a slave escape route.[citation needed]

While there were other points where underground railroad routes converged further south, these were not as safe as Rock Island, Illinois, since pro-slavery sympathies were higher further south, such as at the confluences of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, and of the Mississippi, Illinois, and Missouri rivers at St. Louis.

By contrast, anti-slavery sentiment was higher in Rock Island, and freight and passengers headed north could continue up the Mississippi River or north-east up the Rock River or east on the Rock Island railroad in early years. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that the lyrics mention that the railroad entered New Orleans, a point never served directly by the Rock Island Railroad, and that code words used on the Underground Railroad pervade the song's lyrics.[citation needed]

  • Lonnie Donegan's recording, released in 1955, signalled the start of the "skiffle" craze. Donegan "did nothing to credit Lead Belly as the author, even though he simply copied Huddie's entire arrangement".[2] However, although it only featured Donegan, Chris Barber on double bass and washboard player (Beryl Bryden), it was a band recording so he made no money from it beyond his original session fee.

[edit] Versions

"Rock Island Line" has been recorded by:

[edit] 1930s – 40s

[edit] 1950s

In July 1954, Donegan recorded this fast-tempoed version of "Rock Island Line", with Chris Barber's Jazz Band, featuring "John Henry" on the B-side. It was the first debut record to go gold in Britain, and reached the top ten in the United States.
Bobby Darin's debut single was a 1956 recording of "Rock Island Line", with 'rhythm accompaniment directed by Jack Pleis', featuring "Timber" (written by Darin, Don Kirshner and George M. Shaw) on the the B-side. It was released on the Decca Records label.
Recorded in 1957, released posthumously.

[edit] 1960s

In Freberg's typical style, this is a "twisted" parody version.

[edit] 1970s

  • Johnny Cash - single on the album Rock Island Line (1970) [6], see image
This single reached #93 (US Singles Chart), and #35 (US Country chart).
  • John Lennon - acoustic and unreleased version found on the bootleg, The Lost Lennon Tapes.

[edit] 1980s

[edit] 1990s

On the album Poor Little Knitter on the Road - A Tribute to the Knitters.

[edit] 2000s

A children's version recorded with the Rocket Ship Review.

[edit] In popular culture

  • Lonnie Donegan's recording of "Rock Island Line" was featured in an advert for the Vauxhall Astra Twintop and Tigra in 2006 in the UK.
  • The 2005 computer game Civilization IV uses the lyric "I fooled you, I fooled you, I got pig iron, I got pig iron, I got all pig iron." when a player successfully gains the Railroad technology.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Harry Lewman Music - The Lead Belly Songbook
  2. ^ Ibid., Harry Lewman Music
  3. ^ Ibid., Harry Lewman Music
  4. ^ The Leadbelly Web Discography
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