Wabash Cannonball
Encyclopedia
"The Wabash Cannonball" is an American folk song
about a fictional train, thought to have originated in the late nineteenth century. Its first documented appearance was on sheet music published in 1882, titled "The Great Rock Island Route" and credited to J. A. Roff. All subsequent versions contain a variation of the chorus:
A rewritten version by William Kindt appeared in 1904 under the title "Wabash Cannon Ball".
The Carter Family made one of the first recordings of the song in 1929
, though it was not released until 1932. Another popular version was recorded by Roy Acuff
in 1936. The Acuff version is one of the fewer than thirty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide.
It is a signature song of the Stephen F. Austin State University
Lumberjack Marching Band, the Kansas State University Marching Band
, the University of Texas Longhorn Band, and of the Indiana State University
Marching Sycamores
, as ISU is close to the Wabash River
. It was also used as the theme song by the .
's 1936 recording, many hillbilly
artists recorded "The Wabash Cannonball" during the Great Depression
era of the 1930s and 1940s, and the song was also recorded by Piedmont Blues legend Blind Willie McTell
. Bing Crosby
recorded the song for his album "Bing Crosby Sings The Great Country Hits". The song increased in popularity during this time.
states that hobos imagined a mythical train called the "Wabash Cannonball" which was a "death coach" that appeared at the death of a hobo to carry his soul to its reward. The song was then created, with the lyrics and music telling the story of the train.
Another theory states that the song is based on a tall tale
in which Cal S. Bunyan, Paul Bunyan's brother, constructed a railroad known as the Ireland
, Jerusalem, Australia
n & Southern Michigan
Line. After two months of service, the 700-car train was traveling so fast that it arrived at its destination an hour before its departure. Finally, the train took off so fast that it rushed in to outer space
, and for all is known, it is still traveling through space. When the hobos learned of this train, they called her the "Wabash Cannonball" and said that every station in America had heard her whistle.
named its express run between Detroit and St. Louis
as the Wabash Cannon Ball in 1949, the only actual train to bear the name, which it carried until discontinued in 1971. However, the train was named after the song, not the other way around.
A roller coaster
at the now-defunct Opryland USA
theme park was titled after the song as well.
as performed by The Carter Family in their 1929 recording:
Verse:
Verse:
Chorus:
Verse:
Verse:
Chorus:
, having been played since the late 1960s. It was the only piece of sheet music rescued from the KSU music department in the Nichols Hall fire of 1968, and grew in popularity with students and fans. The Kansas State University Marching Band
says that "the Wabash Cannonball has come to represent the survival of the underdog in the hearts and minds of all true K-State fans, and has earned a secure place in the KSUMB's history and traditions." Currently Kansas State is the prime contributing player of the song and most noted with Big 12 fans and spectators.
The University of Texas Longhorn Band plays the song at the beginning of every fourth quarter during football season. The tradition began when Texas was in the Southwest Conference and Kansas State University
was in the Big 8 Conference. Texas band director Vincent R. DiNino once asked football coach Darrell K. Royal if he had any songs he would like to hear the Longhorn Band play. His response was that they didn't play enough country music and that he would like to hear Wabash Cannonball. 'Band rivalry' has developed since both schools joined the Big 12 Conference
.
-Pennsylvania
region, including Rogers himself, Ray Whitley
, and Rex Zario. Bill Haley and The Saddlemen
(later known as The Comets) also had a minor hit with the song in 1952, which was considered an early example of rockabilly
. Haley re-recorded the song in 1979.
is an ode to truckers.
The first verse is:
"This proud and mighty nation will sing forever more
of pioneers, brave engineers, and heroes by the score
but the world of transportation has its own breed just as great
they're the men of steel behind the wheel of the big rigs hauling freight"
, Ernie Ford sang a rendition of the song in the episodes "Tennessee Ernie Visits" and "Tennessee Ernie Hangs On".
Grammy nominated instrumental "The Great Train Song Medley."
recorded a version of the song for his 1956 album, Lonnie Donegan Showcase.
on their album Intergalactic Boogie Express: Live in Europe....
's "Grand Coulee Dam" — one of several songs he wrote about the largest concrete structure in the United States — is a rework of the "Wabash Cannonball".
Chorus:
"She" is the Columbia River
. The song is really an ode to the river as much as the dam - rather like the way some popular versions of the "Wabash Cannonball" seem to be as much about that tall glamorous girl from Tennessee
, as about the train.
Guthrie also composed another song—"Farmer-Labor Train"—with the same melody.
American folk music
American folk music is a musical term that encompasses numerous genres, many of which are known as traditional music or roots music. Roots music is a broad category of music including bluegrass, country music, gospel, old time music, jug bands, Appalachian folk, blues, Cajun and Native American...
about a fictional train, thought to have originated in the late nineteenth century. Its first documented appearance was on sheet music published in 1882, titled "The Great Rock Island Route" and credited to J. A. Roff. All subsequent versions contain a variation of the chorus:
- Now listen to the jingle, and the rumble, and the roar,
- As she dashes thro' the woodland, and speeds along the shore,
- See the mighty rushing engine, hear her merry bell ring out,
- As they speed along in safety, on the "Great Rock-Island RouteChicago, Rock Island and Pacific RailroadThe Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
."
A rewritten version by William Kindt appeared in 1904 under the title "Wabash Cannon Ball".
The Carter Family made one of the first recordings of the song in 1929
1929 in music
-Events:*January 1 – Pianist and composer Abram Chasins makes his professional debut playing his own piano concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra.*January 11 – Karol Szymanowski's Stabat Mater is premiered....
, though it was not released until 1932. Another popular version was recorded by Roy Acuff
Roy Acuff
Roy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the King of Country Music, Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful.Acuff...
in 1936. The Acuff version is one of the fewer than thirty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide.
It is a signature song of the Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University is a public university located in Nacogdoches, Texas, United States. Founded as a teachers' college in 1923, the university was named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding...
Lumberjack Marching Band, the Kansas State University Marching Band
Kansas State University Marching Band
The Kansas State University Marching Band, also known as "The Pride of Wildcat Land" or just The Pride, is a 300+ piece marching band consisting of woodwinds, brass, percussion, color guard, dancers, and twirlers...
, the University of Texas Longhorn Band, and of the Indiana State University
Indiana State University
Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
Marching Sycamores
Indiana State University Marching Sycamores
The Pride of Indiana, also known as the Indiana State University Marching Sycamores, is the marching band of Indiana State University. The band performs at all ISU home football games as well as in the homecoming parade, the freshman "March Through the Arch", and other events on and off campus...
, as ISU is close to the Wabash River
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
. It was also used as the theme song by the .
History
In addition to The Carter Family's 1929 recording and Roy AcuffRoy Acuff
Roy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the King of Country Music, Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful.Acuff...
's 1936 recording, many hillbilly
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
artists recorded "The Wabash Cannonball" during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
era of the 1930s and 1940s, and the song was also recorded by Piedmont Blues legend Blind Willie McTell
Blind Willie McTell
Blind Willie McTell , was an influential Piedmont and ragtime blues singer and guitarist. He played with a fluid, syncopated fingerstyle guitar technique, common among many exponents of Piedmont blues, although, unlike his contemporaries, he used exclusively a twelve-string guitar...
. Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
recorded the song for his album "Bing Crosby Sings The Great Country Hits". The song increased in popularity during this time.
Origins
There are many theories of the origin of "The Wabash Cannonball". Utah PhillipsUtah Phillips
Bruce Duncan "Utah" Phillips was a labor organizer, folk singer, storyteller, poet and the "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest". He described the struggles of labor unions and the power of direct action, self-identifying as an anarchist...
states that hobos imagined a mythical train called the "Wabash Cannonball" which was a "death coach" that appeared at the death of a hobo to carry his soul to its reward. The song was then created, with the lyrics and music telling the story of the train.
Another theory states that the song is based on a tall tale
Tall tale
A tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, related as if it were true and factual. Some such stories are exaggerations of actual events, for example fish stories such as, "that fish was so big, why I tell ya', it nearly sank the boat when I pulled it in!" Other tall tales are completely...
in which Cal S. Bunyan, Paul Bunyan's brother, constructed a railroad known as the Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Jerusalem, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n & Southern Michigan
Southern Michigan
Southern Michigan is a loosely defined geographic area of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Southern Michigan may be referred to as a sub-region or component area to the larger geographic regions of Central Michigan, West Michigan, and Southeast Michigan.Southern Michigan is a...
Line. After two months of service, the 700-car train was traveling so fast that it arrived at its destination an hour before its departure. Finally, the train took off so fast that it rushed in to outer space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
, and for all is known, it is still traveling through space. When the hobos learned of this train, they called her the "Wabash Cannonball" and said that every station in America had heard her whistle.
Namesakes
In the wake of the song's popularity, the Wabash RailroadWabash Railroad
The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including trackage in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Ontario. Its primary connections included Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City, Missouri, Detroit,...
named its express run between Detroit and St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
as the Wabash Cannon Ball in 1949, the only actual train to bear the name, which it carried until discontinued in 1971. However, the train was named after the song, not the other way around.
A roller coaster
Wabash Cannonball (roller coaster)
Wabash Cannonball was a steel corkscrew roller coaster at the now-defunct Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee. Built by Arrow Dynamics in 1975, it was the second roller coaster added to the park following the Timber Topper...
at the now-defunct Opryland USA
Opryland USA
Opryland USA was an amusement park located in suburban Nashville, Tennessee. It operated seasonally from 1972 until 1997...
theme park was titled after the song as well.
Lyrics
The lyricsLyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
as performed by The Carter Family in their 1929 recording:
Verse:
- Out from the wide Pacific to the broad Atlantic shore
- She climbs flowery mountain, o'r hills and by the shore
- Although she's tall and handsome, and she's known quite well by all
- She's a regular combination of the Wabash Cannonball.
Verse:
- Oh, the Eastern states are dandy, so the Western people say
- ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Rock IslandRock Island, IllinoisRock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,884 at the 2010 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities...
, St. Louis by the way - To the lakes of MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
where the rippling waters fall - No changes to be taken on the Wabash Cannonball.
Chorus:
- Oh, listen to the jingle, the rumor and the roar
- As she glides along the woodland, o'r hills and by the shore
- She climbs the flowery mountain, hear the merry hobos squall
- She glides along the woodland, the Wabash Cannonball.
Verse:
- Oh, here's to daddy Cleaton, let his name forever be
- And long be remembered in the courts of Tennessee
- For he is a good old rounder 'til the curtain 'round him fall
- He'll be carried back to victory on the Wabash Cannonball.
Verse:
- I have rode the I.C. LimitedIllinois Central RailroadThe Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
, also the Royal Blue - Across the Eastern countries on Elkhorn Number Two
- I have rode those highball trains from coast to coast that's all
- But I have found no equal to the Wabash Cannonball.
Chorus:
- Oh, listen to the jingle, the rumor and the roar
- As she glides along the woodland, o'r hills and by the shore
- She climbs the flowery mountain, hear the merry hobos squall
- She glides along the woodland, the Wabash Cannonball.
Variations
Many variations of the lyrics exist, including:- A Tribute to William Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
- Here’s to Jennings Bryan, may his name forever stand
- And always be remembered in hearts throughout the land.
- His earthly race is over and the curtain round him falls,
- But they’ll carry him home to victory on the Wabash Cannon Ball.
- 'Courts' instead of 'Hearts'
- 'Glory' instead of 'Victory'
- 'Lonesome' instead of 'merry' hobos
- 'Dixie' instead of 'Victory'
- 'Daddy Claxton', 'Danny Claxton', 'Daddy Clayton', or 'Boston BlackieBoston BlackieBoston Blackie is a fictional character created by author Jack Boyle . Originally a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle's novels, he became a detective in adaptations for films, radio and television—an "enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend."-Literature:Jack...
' instead of 'Daddy Cleaton' - 'While' or 'We're' instead of 'You're', in the final line of the chorus
- 'Rumble' instead of 'Rumor' in the chorus.
- There are several known versions of the second and final lines of the first stanza. Some believe that "she's the 'boes accommodation called the Wabash Cannonball" was most likely the original final line of the first stanza, even though it is probably the least popular today. One common variations calls her a "streamlined combination."
- There are alternative versions in which the second and third stanzas are changed significantly, including the 1966 recording by Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
.
Use in the Big 12 Conference
The Wabash Cannonball (arranged by Joel Leach) is known as the unofficial "second" fight song of Kansas State UniversityKansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
, having been played since the late 1960s. It was the only piece of sheet music rescued from the KSU music department in the Nichols Hall fire of 1968, and grew in popularity with students and fans. The Kansas State University Marching Band
Kansas State University Marching Band
The Kansas State University Marching Band, also known as "The Pride of Wildcat Land" or just The Pride, is a 300+ piece marching band consisting of woodwinds, brass, percussion, color guard, dancers, and twirlers...
says that "the Wabash Cannonball has come to represent the survival of the underdog in the hearts and minds of all true K-State fans, and has earned a secure place in the KSUMB's history and traditions." Currently Kansas State is the prime contributing player of the song and most noted with Big 12 fans and spectators.
The University of Texas Longhorn Band plays the song at the beginning of every fourth quarter during football season. The tradition began when Texas was in the Southwest Conference and Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
was in the Big 8 Conference. Texas band director Vincent R. DiNino once asked football coach Darrell K. Royal if he had any songs he would like to hear the Longhorn Band play. His response was that they didn't play enough country music and that he would like to hear Wabash Cannonball. 'Band rivalry' has developed since both schools joined the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
.
Jukebox Cannonball
In 1951, Jesse Rogers adapted "Wabash Cannonball" into "Jukebox Cannonball" by retaining the original melody but replacing it with a new set of lyrics. Many recordings of this song were made in the early 1950s, primarily by artists from the New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
region, including Rogers himself, Ray Whitley
Ray Whitley
Raymond Otis Whitley , also known as Ray Whitley, was a Country and Western singer, radio and Hollywood movie star.-Singing and live performance:...
, and Rex Zario. Bill Haley and The Saddlemen
Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
(later known as The Comets) also had a minor hit with the song in 1952, which was considered an early example of rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
. Haley re-recorded the song in 1979.
Big Wheel Cannonball
A version recorded by truckin' music/country star Dick CurlessDick Curless
Richard William Curless was an American country-music singer, a pioneer of the trucking music genre, commonly known as the "Baron of Country Music." He was easily distinguished because of the patch he usually wore over his right eye.-Biography:Curless was born in Fort Fairfield, Maine, and moved...
is an ode to truckers.
The first verse is:
"This proud and mighty nation will sing forever more
of pioneers, brave engineers, and heroes by the score
but the world of transportation has its own breed just as great
they're the men of steel behind the wheel of the big rigs hauling freight"
Tennessee Ernie Ford
In the third season (1952–53) of I Love LucyI Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
, Ernie Ford sang a rendition of the song in the episodes "Tennessee Ernie Visits" and "Tennessee Ernie Hangs On".
The Moody Brothers
The Wabash Cannonball is among several classic train songs featured in The Moody BrothersThe Moody Brothers
The Moody Brothers are an Americana country music trio who gained prominence in 1985 when they were nominated for a Grammy Award for their instrumental performance of the classic fiddle tune "Cotton Eyed Joe"...
Grammy nominated instrumental "The Great Train Song Medley."
Lonnie Donegan
Lonnie DoneganLonnie Donegan
Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan MBE was a skiffle musician, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is known as the "King of Skiffle" and is often cited as a large influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s...
recorded a version of the song for his 1956 album, Lonnie Donegan Showcase.
Robert Fripp & The League Of The Crafty Guitarists
An arrangement of "Wabash Cannonball" was recorded by Robert Fripp & The League Of Crafty GuitaristsGuitar Craft
Guitar Craft was a series of guitar and personal development classes, founded and often presented by Robert Fripp, who is best known for his work with King Crimson.-Courses:GC includes three ways of developing relationships:...
on their album Intergalactic Boogie Express: Live in Europe....
Woody Guthrie
The Dustbowl BalladeerWoody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
's "Grand Coulee Dam" — one of several songs he wrote about the largest concrete structure in the United States — is a rework of the "Wabash Cannonball".
Chorus:
- In the misty crystal glitter of her wild and windward spray
- Men have fought the pounding waters and dared a watery grave
- Oh, she broke their boats to splinters but she gave them dreams to dream
- Of the day the Coulee Dam would tame that wild and wasted stream
"She" is the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. The song is really an ode to the river as much as the dam - rather like the way some popular versions of the "Wabash Cannonball" seem to be as much about that tall glamorous girl from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, as about the train.
Guthrie also composed another song—"Farmer-Labor Train"—with the same melody.