241:"Greatest Comedy Hit In Years" and "The Only Comedy Railroad Song." This version was the one that was strenuously objected to by Casey's widow, for making her appear to have been unfaithful to Casey. The offending lines read: "Mrs. Jones sat on her bed a sighing/Just received a message that Casey was dying/ Said go to bed children and hush your crying/Cause you got another papa on the Salt Lake line." This is similar to a line in the song "Duncan and Brady". She spent her remaining years refuting those lines, once saying "That devil hasn't shown up in 58 years!"
25:
182:
and his death at the controls of the train he was driving. It tells of how Jones and his fireman Sim Webb raced their locomotive to make up for lost time, but discovered another train ahead of them on the line, and how Jones remained on board to try to stop the train as Webb jumped to safety. It is
218:
and friend of Casey’s named
Wallace Saunders to the tune of a popular song of the time known as "Jimmie Jones." He was known to sing and whistle as he went about his work cleaning the steam engines. In the words of Casey’s wife: "Wallace's admiration of Casey was little short of idolatry. He used
240:
Finally, with vaudeville performers T. Lawrence
Seibert credited with the lyrics and Eddie Newton with the music, it was published and offered for sale in 1909 with the title "Casey Jones, The Brave Engineer". As their intent was to entertain, it was hailed on the cover of the sheet music as the
226:. But it was up to others with a profit motive to take it and rework it for a nationwide audience. Illinois Central Engineer William Leighton appreciated the song's potential enough to tell his brothers
219:
to brag mightily about Mr. Jones even when Casey was only a freight engineer." But
Saunders never had his original version copyrighted, and thus there is no way of knowing precisely what words he sang.
190:
The song helped preserve the memory of Jones' feat down through the years in its 40 plus versions and enhanced Casey’s legendary status to the extent that he has even become something of a
237:
Reportedly, Saunders received a bottle of gin for the use of the song. Nothing more was heard from him after this, and he is now known only for preserving the legend of Casey Jones.
248:
called the song "Casey Jones, the Brave
Engineer" the "greatest ballad ever written". Casey Jones figures in many railroad songs, such as "Freight Train Boogie", by
234:
performers, about it. They took it and sang it in theaters around the country with a chorus they added. But apparently even they neglected to get it copyrighted.
42:
490:
575:
244:
By World War I, dozens of versions had been published and millions of copies were sold, securing the memory of a new
American folk hero. Poet
565:
89:
61:
108:
560:
388:
278:
68:
222:
As railroaders stopped in Canton, Mississippi, they would pick up the song and pass it along. Soon it was a hit up and down the
46:
75:
518:
570:
555:
580:
293:
57:
35:
320:
227:
381:
267:
535:"A Treasury of American Folklore," by B. A. Botkin, (American Legacy Press, NT, 1944) pp. 241–246)
523:
82:
249:
184:
585:
403:
369:
261:
215:
176:
355:
345:
223:
463:
331:
378:– with new lyrics about Casey Jones Jr. who serves as a bombardier during World War II
549:
361:
245:
436:
392:
375:
326:
309:
288:
273:
199:
179:
24:
231:
195:
145:
314:
303:
172:
203:
491:"Casey Jones (The Union Scab) | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings"
191:
129:
270:
as "The Ballad of Casey Jones" (1912, Edison Blue
Amberol 1550)
18:
206:
and its heroes helped to perpetuate his memory as well.
202:
to the uninformed. Books and pulp magazines about the
214:
Soon after Casey’s death, the song was first sung by
16:
Traditional song about railroad engineer Casey Jones
350:
Smithsonian
Folkways Records, Vol. 3: When I'm Gone
143:
135:
128:
123:
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
524:The Ballad Of Casey Jones, Wallace Saunders lyrics
426:. (1934; reprint, New York: Dover, 1994), p. 34
153:Lyricist: Wallace Saunders, T. Lawrence Seibert
387:"The Ballad of Casey Jones" is distinct from "
8:
443:. UC Santa Barbara Library. 16 November 2005
329:included the song in a medley on his album
120:
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
415:
127:
7:
47:adding citations to reliable sources
393:several other songs on the subject.
285:American Folklife recording (1932)
14:
376:Spike Jones and his City Slickers
279:Anthology of American Folk Music
23:
576:Songs based on American history
424:American Ballads and Folk Songs
422:Lomax, John A. and Alan Lomax.
165:Casey Jones, the Brave Engineer
34:needs additional citations for
1:
171:", is a traditional American
566:Mississippi John Hurt songs
441:UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive
391:" by the Grateful Dead and
338:Merrill Jay Singers (1961,
294:American Industrial Ballads
124:"The Ballad of Casey Jones"
58:"The Ballad of Casey Jones"
602:
358:Singers (Arabesque Z6675)
276:as "Kassie Jones" (1928,
161:The Ballad of Casey Jones
342:, Viking Record Company)
183:song number 3247 in the
561:Songs about Casey Jones
321:The Golden Gate Quartet
228:Frank and Bert Leighton
151:Composer: Eddie Newton
540:Erie Railroad Magazine
291:(1956, reissued 1992,
519:Ballad of Casey Jones
382:Mississippi John Hurt
340:Songs of the Railroad
300:The Dixieaires (1949)
264:(1910, Columbia A907)
542:, vol 28, no. 2, p12
366:Drive Dull Care Away
317:(1957, Baton BL1203)
262:Collins & Harlan
250:the Delmore Brothers
185:Roud Folk Song Index
43:improve this article
571:Train wreck ballads
556:American folk songs
462:Abbott, Francis H.
404:List of train songs
370:Folk-Legacy Records
306:(1954, Decca 29129)
581:Songs about trains
163:", also known as "
177:railroad engineer
157:
156:
119:
118:
111:
93:
593:
506:
505:
503:
501:
487:
481:
480:
478:
477:
468:
459:
453:
452:
450:
448:
433:
427:
420:
356:Robert DeCormier
346:Elizabeth Cotten
148:
121:
114:
107:
103:
100:
94:
92:
51:
27:
19:
601:
600:
596:
595:
594:
592:
591:
590:
546:
545:
532:
515:
510:
509:
499:
497:
495:folkways.si.edu
489:
488:
484:
475:
473:
466:
461:
460:
456:
446:
444:
435:
434:
430:
421:
417:
412:
400:
258:
212:
152:
144:
115:
104:
98:
95:
52:
50:
40:
28:
17:
12:
11:
5:
599:
597:
589:
588:
583:
578:
573:
568:
563:
558:
548:
547:
544:
543:
536:
531:
528:
527:
526:
521:
514:
513:External links
511:
508:
507:
482:
454:
428:
414:
413:
411:
408:
407:
406:
399:
396:
385:
384:
379:
373:
359:
353:
343:
336:
332:101 Gang Songs
324:
318:
312:
307:
301:
298:
286:
283:
271:
265:
257:
254:
211:
208:
155:
154:
149:
141:
140:
137:
133:
132:
126:
125:
117:
116:
31:
29:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
598:
587:
584:
582:
579:
577:
574:
572:
569:
567:
564:
562:
559:
557:
554:
553:
551:
541:
537:
534:
533:
530:Other sources
529:
525:
522:
520:
517:
516:
512:
496:
492:
486:
483:
472:
465:
464:"Casey Jones"
458:
455:
442:
438:
437:"Casey Jones"
432:
429:
425:
419:
416:
409:
405:
402:
401:
397:
395:
394:
390:
383:
380:
377:
374:
371:
367:
363:
362:Joe Hickerson
360:
357:
354:
351:
347:
344:
341:
337:
334:
333:
328:
325:
322:
319:
316:
313:
311:
308:
305:
302:
299:
296:
295:
290:
287:
284:
281:
280:
275:
272:
269:
266:
263:
260:
259:
255:
253:
251:
247:
246:Carl Sandburg
242:
238:
235:
233:
229:
225:
220:
217:
209:
207:
205:
201:
197:
193:
188:
186:
181:
178:
174:
170:
167:" or simply "
166:
162:
150:
147:
146:Songwriter(s)
142:
138:
134:
131:
122:
113:
110:
102:
91:
88:
84:
81:
77:
74:
70:
67:
63:
60: –
59:
55:
54:Find sources:
48:
44:
38:
37:
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
539:
538:April 1932,
498:. Retrieved
494:
485:
474:. Retrieved
470:
457:
445:. Retrieved
440:
431:
423:
418:
386:
365:
349:
339:
330:
292:
277:
268:Billy Murray
243:
239:
236:
221:
216:engine wiper
213:
194:figure like
192:mythological
189:
168:
164:
160:
158:
105:
96:
86:
79:
72:
65:
53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
389:Casey Jones
327:Bing Crosby
310:Johnny Cash
289:Pete Seeger
274:Furry Lewis
230:, who were
200:Paul Bunyan
180:Casey Jones
169:Casey Jones
586:1909 songs
550:Categories
476:2008-01-15
410:References
256:Recordings
232:vaudeville
196:Pecos Bill
139:circa 1909
69:newspapers
315:Milt Okun
304:Burl Ives
224:I.C. line
173:folk song
99:July 2016
398:See also
204:railroad
500:1 April
471:Loc.gov
447:1 April
368:(2002,
348:(1965,
210:History
136:Written
83:scholar
335:(1961)
323:(1960)
175:about
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
467:(Mp3)
90:JSTOR
76:books
502:2022
449:2022
130:Song
62:news
364:as
198:or
45:by
552::
493:.
469:.
439:.
252:.
187:.
504:.
479:.
451:.
372:)
352:)
297:)
282:)
159:"
112:)
106:(
101:)
97:(
87:·
80:·
73:·
66:·
39:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
