On the Railroad

The fourth track on Written in Salt, this song is a Longest Johns original.

Though written primarily by Dave Robinson, the song's lyrics were fine-tuned and finished by the whole of the band in a collaborative effort.

As is common with work songs, this song begins slow and steadily increases in tempo until its culmination.

### Factoids

The First Transcontinental Railroad (originally called the Pacific Railroad) was an approximately 3000 km continuous railway constructed between 1863 and 1869 which stretched from Nebraska to its terminus at San Francisco Bay.

During the period of railway construction that immediately followed the end of the US Civil War, a major source of labour for one of the companies prominently responsible for the railway's construction was "Freedmen" labour, former slaves who found working for the white-owned railway companies not significantly different than their previous slavery. The chorus "Ain't no slave but we slave away" likely pays homage to that fact.

"A mile a day" was a common work goal for the three separate companies who contributed to the Transcontinental Railroad, which, if they had managed to maintain that pace (they didn't), would have seen the railway completed in approximately two and a half years, since the route was constructed from each end simultaneously to meet in the middle.

The railroad met significant difficulties in trying to cross territories held by Native American tribes, particularly the Cheyenne. Despite the fact that numerous tribes and bands had signed treaties with the US, the use of eminent domain to acquire railroad lands was a significant slight, and the railroad itself was a massive disruption to their way of life, particularly with its catastrophic effects on the bison population. The Cheyenne were particularly resistant to these changes, and reportedly engaged in acts of sabotage and attacked settlements along the route in an effort to stop or divert the railroad away from their lands.

## Lyrics

>
> Give me a spade and I'll give you a hole (Hole!)
>
> (Way-oh on the railroad)
>
> Dirt on my brow, but steel in my soul
>
> (Way-oh on the railroad)
>
>
>
> {Chorus one}
>
> Picking up coal and we're picking up speed
>
> Shovel as much as the engine needs
>
> Sweat and blood gonna earn my pay
>
> All the way to 'Frisco Bay
>
>
>
> Blowing through hills, tryin'a make up time (Whuh!)
>
> (Way-oh on the railroad)
>
> Ain't nothing gonna stand in the way of our line (Whuh!)
>
> (Way-oh on the railroad)
>
>
>
> {Chorus two}
>
> Picking up coal and we're picking up speed
>
> Shovel as much as the engine needs
>
> Ain't no slave but we slave away
>
> All the way to 'Frisco Bay
>
>
>
> (Hey!)
>
>
>
> Bossman says that a mile a day's the pace (Whuh!)
>
> (Way-oh on the railroad)
>
> I'll make two for the look on his face (Huh!)
>
> (Way-oh on the railroad)
>
>
>
> {Chorus two}
>
>
>
> Surveyors tryin'a plan which route is best (Whuh!)
>
> (Way-oh on the railroad)
>
> Just draw a straight line from east to west {Huh!}
>
> (Way-oh on the railroad)
>
>
>
> {Chorus 2}
>
>
>
> {Dave}
>
> We spare no quarter and we'll spare no man (Whuh!)
>
> (Way-oh on the railroad)
>
> Just pray we don't run into the Cheyenne
>
> (Way-oh on the railroad)
>
>
>
> {Chorus one}
>
>
>
> {Chorus two}
>
>
>
> Picking up coal and we're picking up speed
>
> shovel as much as the engine needs
>
> If I should fall leave me where I lay
>
> On the railway to 'Frisco Bay
>
>
>
>
>

## Recordings

#### Streaming/Purchase

* Amazon Music (Written in Salt version)
* Amazon Music (Commodore 1864 version)
* Apple Music/iTunes (Written in Salt version)
* Apple Music/iTunes (Commodore 1864 version)
* Bandcamp (Written in Salt version)
* Deezer (Written in Salt version)
* Deezer (Commodore 1864 version)
* Pandora (Written in Salt version)
* Pandora (Commodore 1864 version)
* Spotify (Written in Salt version)
* Spotify (Commodore 1864 version)

#### YouTube Videos

* Written in Salt version
* Commodore 1864 version

#### Gig Videos

* Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival, 2014
* Bie Daip Festival, Appingedam (2016)
* Gloucester Shanty Festival, 2017
* Festiwal Bie Daip, Appingedam - Holandia (26 Aug 2018)
* Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival, 2019
* Performed at a Hen do on the Bristol Ferry, 2019
* XXXIX Międzynarodowy Festiwal Piosenki Żeglarskiej (28 Feb 2020)
* Shrewsbury Folk Festival (28 Aug 2021)

#### Full Band Streams

* The Longest Johns, Album Launch gig/party (19 Jun 2018)
* The Longest Johns and Friends, El Pony Pisador! (12 Aug 2018)
* Christmas Party with The Longest Johns!!! (19 Dec 2018)
* The Longest Johns and Friends, February Edition (New donation system) (27 Feb 2019)
* The Longest Johns and Friends, April. w/Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith (30 Apr 2019)
* The Longest Johns Streamtember (4 Sep 2019)
* The Longest Johns Early Octobermas (2 Oct 2019)
* TLJ & Friends! | Natalie Holmes (27 Nov 2019)
* Last Stream Before Album Launch! (27 May 2020)
* Welcome to the Live Stream, We've got Fun and Sings! (22 Jul 2020)
* Sweet Streams are Made of This (17 Mar 2021)
* All Aboard the Stream Locomotive (2 Jun 2021)
* Nice Stream Sundae (Wednesday) (1 Sep 2021)
* Strème de Menthe (27 Jul 2022)
* Davestream Beleaver (30 May 2023)
* Stream Lantern (27 Sep 2023)
* It Was Christmas Stream Babe (20 Dec 2023)

#### Gaming Streams

* Anyone for a Shanty? | Sea of Thieves Singing Live Stream!! (Part 2) (23 Sep 2020)
* Sea of Sings! With JD, Dave, Robbie and WIREDmag! - 08/03/2021
* Give it away, give it away, give it away now! | Sea of Sings - 15/03/2021
* Shanties?!?! On the sea?!?! Why yes it is... With Krotukk and Kharites\_ - 02/04/2021
* Friday funtime happy murder party! with Kharites & Krotukk - 13/08/2021

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First\_transcontinental\_railroad
2. ↑ https://californiahistoricalsociety.org/blog/the-transcontinental-railroad-african-americans-and-the-california-dream/
3. ↑ https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United\_States/\_Topics/history/\_Texts/GALFTR/7\*.html
4. ↑ https://dp.la/exhibitions/transcontinental-railroad/human-impact/native-americans