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Although these are among the earliest published references, there is other evidence to suggest that the chanty was sung as early as the 1850s. A reminiscence from the 1920s, for example, claims its use at the windlass of the following verse, aboard a packet ship out of
Liverpool in 1857:
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During the mid-19th century, Irish immigrants worked to build railways in the United
Kingdom and the United States. The song reflects the work that thousands of Irish section crews did as track layers, gaugers, spikers, and bolters. The song begins in 1841, during the time of the
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claims that the song has been published in sheet music since the early 1850s. The earliest confirmed date of publication is from 1864 from a manuscript magazine. Ernest Bourne recorded the first version, released in 1941, by
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in the 1860s. Adams includes an exposition on sailors' chanties, including their melodies and sample lyrics. In this discussion he quotes "Paddy, Come Work on the
Railway":
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Several versions of this chanty were audio-recorded from the singing of veteran sailors in the 1920s–40s by folklorists like R. W. Gordon, J. M. Carpenter, and
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episode "Impractical Jokes," two versions of this song were sung. One was sung by Tom
Callinan, Matt, and Tanya, and the other was sung by Tex and Rex.
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118:. One of the chanties the men sing while performing this task is mentioned by title, "Paddy on the Railway."
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There are numerous titles for the song, including "Pat Works on the
Railway" and "Paddy on the Railway" and "
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176:. Captain Mark Page, whose sea experience spanned 1849–1879, sang it for Carpenter in the late 1920s.
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For a number of versions, the melody of the first lines of each stanza resembles the song "
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for the
Library of Congress in 1938 under the title "A-working on the Railway".
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This song has been performed by numerous musicians and singers, including
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The great machines: poems and songs of the
American railroad
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The song was next mentioned as a chanty in R. C. Adams'
205:". Oftentimes, the song becomes faster progressively.
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in the earliest known published work to use the word
106:(1867). Clark recounted experiences fishing on the
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317:Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong
165:To work on the railway, the railway, the railway,
39:. The song portrays an Irish worker working on a
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306:. New York : Harcourt, Brace & Co.
35:208). Historically, it was often sung as a
151:Oh, poor Paddy come work on the railway.
145:: To work upon the railway, the railway,
94:"Paddy on the Railway" is attested as a
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476:Lyrics and brief background of the tune
315:Cohen, Norm & Cohen, David (2000).
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168:Oh, poor Paddy works upon the railway.
481:YouTube Video of Luke Kelly recording
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384:, D. Lothrop & Co. (1879) p. 321
133:In eighteen hundred and sixty-three,
162:In 1847 Paddy Murphy went to Heaven
54:" is another version of the song.
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371:, Adams & Co. (1867) p. 312.
347:The American Folksong Collection
551:Songs of the American Civil War
203:When Johnny Comes Marching Home
21:Poor Paddy Works on the Railway
369:Seven Years of a Sailor’s Life
139:My dung'ree breeches I put on
104:Seven Years of a Sailor’s Life
69:working on the railway in 1854
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136:I came across the stormy sea.
397:, W. Heinemann (1923) p. 158
321:University of Illinois Press
501:Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
432:Robert Hedin (1 May 1996).
393:Chatterton, Edward Kemble,
108:Grand Banks of Newfoundland
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148:To work up-on the railway.
442:University of Iowa Press
174:William Main Doerflinger
408:"Browse the Collection"
302:Sandburg, Carl (1927).
284:VLTJ in Popular culture
199:Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye
52:Paddy Works on the Erie
506:Irish-American culture
367:Clark, George Edward.
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395:The Mercantile Marine
279:Folk music of Ireland
110:, in a vessel out of
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541:Year of song unknown
380:Adams, Captain R.C.
304:The American Songbag
262:Shining Time Station
75:The American Songbag
531:The Dubliners songs
444:. pp. xv–xvi.
382:On Board the Rocket
274:List of train songs
123:On Board the Rocket
546:Songwriter unknown
526:Songs about trains
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451:978-0-87745-550-9
329:978-0-252-06881-2
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536:The Pogues songs
511:Irish folk songs
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455:. Retrieved
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516:Irish songs
417:17 November
255:The Cottars
235:The Tossers
219:The Weavers
209:Appearances
90:As a chanty
496:1864 songs
490:Categories
353:20 October
290:References
247:The Pogues
223:Luke Kelly
180:Background
84:Alan Lomax
37:sea shanty
25:Irish folk
16:Folk song
268:See also
201:" and "
116:windlass
41:railroad
260:In the
67:Navvies
58:History
457:9 June
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253:, and
193:Melody
143:Chorus
127:Boston
100:chanty
96:chanty
31:song (
245:with
225:with
459:2011
446:ISBN
419:2017
355:2022
343:"Mr"
325:ISBN
249:and
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33:Roud
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