Three Early Examples of "Rock Island Line" (with lyrics)

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).
-snip-
LYRICS: ROCK ISLAND LINE (Kelly Pace Version)

Chorus:
I said the Rock Island Line is a mighty good road
I said the Rock Island Line is the road to ride
I said the Rock Island Line is a mighty good road
If you want to ride, you gotta ride it like you find it.
Buy your ticket at the station on the Rock Island Line.
Well, Jesus died to save me all of my sins
Oh well a glory to God we gonna meet Him again

Chorus
Oh well the train left Memphis at half past nine
It made it back to Little Rock at eight forty nine.
Chorus

Well, Jesus died to save me all of my sins
Oh well a glory to God we gonna meet Him again

Chorus
-snip-
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-
The lyrics to this version are very similar to those found in the Kelly Pace recording in 1937with the exception of the verse between 1:03=1:09 in that video.*

*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'".

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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
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