Talk:I've Been Working on the Railroad

They Might Be Giants
it's also known that the song "Where Your Eyes Don't Go" by They Might Be Giants contains the melody of that song. indeed, an interesting piece of information :) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.132.96.40  (talk) 24 July 2006

Song lyrics
The verses come from many sources but the "Folksinger's Handbook" and "Folksongs of the Past" each have the lines below

Fie, fi, fiddly-i-o Fie, fi, fiddly-i-o-o-o-o Fie, fi, fiddly-i-o Strummin' on the old banjo

Someone's makin' love to Dinah Someone's making love I know-o-o-o Someone's making love to Dinah 'Cause I can't hear the old banjo

Just because one doesn't know them doesn't mean they don't exist. Do a google search and I'm sure you'll see them in places. unsigned

09192006: Yes various raunchy versions do exist. However, the version here is the "standard" version used in the United States and in innumerable audio recordings. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.97.18.52  (talk) 19 September 2006

From my high school glee club days of the mid-60's, here's some lines we tacked onto the end of this song: Different melody, and definitely not politically correct, but here goes the lyrics: (Add after "Strummin' on the old banjo:) _"Sheeee's my-y-y one black-a-two-black-a-hop scotch shoe black-a chocolate to the bone_ _If ya see my gal a-walkin' down the street, you better leave my gal alone_ _She's got eyes like a Jezebel, teeth like a pearl_ _My-oh-my, she's a heck of a girl_ _Ya better leave her_ _Ya better leave her_ _Ya better leave my gal alo---ne_ _(Oh. lawdy how da moon do shine, ya better leave...my...gal alone)_ This was sung in barbershop harmony, of course. I have no idea where it originated. Bill Martin

Lyrics not allowed?
I checked out wikipedia's Battle Hymn of the Republic, and the Star Spangled Banner and plenty of music books and composed music do not have the lyrics which wikipedia lists. They are not well known but they have been used for countless decades the same as Railroad. I grew up in the 50's-60's knowing this verse... it should stay. unsigned

Masturbation?
This song is in the list of songs about masturbation. It wouldn't surprise me, but without references I'd be inclined to delete it. --IanOsgood 19:26, 31 January 2007 (UTC)


 * There's arguably a reference to hanky-panky of some sort in the "kitchen with Dinah" section, but masturbation seems like a leap. Nareek 21:07, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

Cara al sol
Cara al sol, has a reference to this song. But this... --213.60.42.231 00:23, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Making Love to Dinah
The final stanza in some versions of the article ("Someone's makin' love to Dinah") I find to be of dubious veracity. The words don't fit the established rhythm, for one thing, and the blatantness of the sexual reference is out of character with the rest of the song. It sounds like something someone made up in school one day. Oddly enough, the only non-Wikipedia reference I found for it is from the University of Austin. Given all these factors, it is essential that a reliable source be found to back up the inclusion of that stanza. Powers T 14:15, 16 December 2007 (UTC)
 * It's 4 paragraphs above this one, "Folksinger's Handbook" and "Folksongs of the Past" include the lines. My copy of the "Folksinger's Wordbook" has it. I also just did a quick look on the net and found it at homeschoolfamily.com and encyclopedia.com. If you notice NONE of the article has a listed source for the lyrics and when playing on the guitar I find the words fit the rhythm just as well as the other stanzas. I can't help it if you were taught a expurgated version but this is the version I learned many years ago. A couple of friends were brought up with "kissing" instead of "making love" but the book references I've seen have "making love" so that's what is used here. Fyunck(click) (talk) 19:44, 16 December 2007 (UTC)
 * I apologize for missing the book references. I can't find any information on those books, so I really can't judge their reliability.  As for encyclopedia.com, I couldn't find an article on this topic; can you link it directly?  I don't think homeschoolfamily.com is a reliable source; the search came up with a personal essay that referenced another web site as a source for lyrics.  For all we know those lyrics might have come from Wikipedia, because they're unreferenced.  The books might be reliable, but they might not; I just don't have enough information to say.  Powers T 12:03, 17 December 2007 (UTC)
 * I guess the encyclopedia.com one won't link unless you are a paid subscriber. I can say that the site lists as its source for the lyrics, "New York Public Library Book of Popular Americana" which I see at amazon.com. However the "Folksinger's Wordbook" is available from amazon.com right now too: (http://www.amazon.com/Folksingers-Wordbook-Irwin-Silber/dp/0825601460/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197924605&sr=8-1). I have the '73 edition so I can't comment on the newer versions. The site homeschool references is a campsong website and it has a few other different lines added so I doubt it came from wiki. My old campsong handout sheets from the 60's have both kissing and making love listed. I didn't use them since they were ditto copied (love that smell) from an unknown source. It's the only way I've ever heard the song and most of my relatives learned it the same way. I was surprised when someone once wrote they had never heard those lyrics, but not shocked, since most don't know the extra verses to the Star Spangled banner either. Fyunck(click) (talk) 21:25, 17 December 2007 (UTC)
 * You'd written "Handbook" not "Wordbook" before, so that's why I couldn't find it. Amazon's copy of the latest edition of the Wordbook has an additional verse that isn't in this article; any reason for that?  Regardless, it looks like Irwin Silber is a reliable enough source.  I'd remove the other two references since they're of dubious reliability; the Silber book should be good enough. Powers T 03:02, 18 December 2007 (UTC)


 * I saw the other verse but I didn't include it because 1)I had never learned it in all my camping days, though one of my buddies did 2)The other two old books I had lying around that listed the "makin love" verse did not have that additional verse. I wanted a secondary source before listing it here...since I couldn't find one I thought it better not to include it in the wiki encyclopedia lest there be even more controversy. Thanks for being civil about this thing... I find most of the time that is not the case on wiki. Fyunck(click) (talk) 04:20, 18 December 2007 (UTC)


 * "Making love" used to mean "courtship/wooing". One chapter of Tom Sawyer is even called "Making War and Love" in some versions (in others it is "Busy at War and Love" - possibly a modern alteration). So that verse probably wasn't meant to be as explicit as it sounds now. Rwestera (talk) 01:45, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

Technology Folklore?
Wondering why this article is flagged under technology folklore? No technology references are given. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.167.255.151 (talk) 15:35, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

Popular culture
What's the point of the "in popular culture" section? To mention every single time this song has been recognized, no matter how fleeting, on every TV show or other media? Seems silly and trivial to me. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.59.3.142 (talk) 15:44, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

The 1894 version
What is the source of this section and where were the lyrics gathered from? Lbparker40 (talk) 01:30, 10 September 2012 (UTC)
 * The sources were already there...at the bottom of the last 1894 lyric. I moved the sources towards the top because if you missed them then perhaps others would also. Fyunck(click) (talk) 04:35, 10 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Indeed, they should be sourced at the top. Previously it seemed they were for the bottom section only. Being that this is a little known version I just didn't want people to mistake it with something that's "made up". Thank you. Lbparker40 (talk) 13:38, 11 September 2012 (UTC)

Interrogation Sketch
It would be nice if the Interrogation Sketch from the Carol Burnett Show (in which this song is sung by a Hitler hand puppet) could be added to the "In Popular Culture" section. Dcwaterboy (talk) 22:42, 21 September 2012 (UTC)

Second verse of 1947 high school glee club version
I sang in a high school glee club in 1948 and 1949, and the second verse (which I just included in the 25 minute long version I sang a few minutes ago putting my granddaughter to sleep) is "(Lead) That little old dog sat up and beg, (Chorus) A wukken on de lebee. (Lead) Till I done give him chicken leg, (Chorus) A wukken on de lebee. (Continues as normal)"

Over the years I've also sung that as a quartet number using several alternative versions of the "Fee, Fie, Fiddle-ee-eye Oh..." chorus segment that would be sung featuring various sound effects in place of certain syllables. One such began "Fee, plunk, Fie, plunk, Fiddle-ee-eye Oh, plunk. Another stanza used a double plunk instead of the single.  Another used another sound effect word but I'm not recalling it tonight. My apologies if this is not in the proper wiki order.  This is my first attempt to contribute.  I've probably done poorly.  I will not be offended if my comments are deleted or otherwise ignored. Dwight38 (talk) 07:10, 27 August 2013 (UTC)Dwight38 08/27/2013 00:47 PDTDwight38 (talk) 07:10, 27 August 2013 (UTC)

Disputed verse
There is a verse here that is apparently not attested in reliable sources. The lack of substantiation for the verse was first noted by LtPowers six years ago (here), but following a revert war and a brief discussion on this talk page, he was convinced that the assertion of a book claiming the verse existed was good enough. I am not convinced.

Let's look at Google Books results. "I can't hear the old banjo" - three results. "Dinah won't you blow your horn" - 515 results. "Strummin' on the old banjo" - 249 results. "Strumming on the old banjo" - 419 results.

What almost certainly happened: there was a very non-notable version of the song including those lyrics that made it into two different sources. (The third was written more recently than this article.) But we would expect it to show up in hundreds of sources based on these quotes (seriously--quote just about anything else from the song and you will receive hundreds of book results).

I'm sorry, but the final verse we list is not substantiated by reliable sources and we need to respect what the vast majority of sources say. Red Slash 22:30, 19 March 2014 (UTC)


 * The second Google Books hit from the search above is to this reference:
 * Irwin Silber, the lead author, is this guy, who appears to be an authority on folk music (noted as "founder and the longtime editor of the folk-music magazine Sing Out" in his NYT obituary, ). I'm inclined to give credence to this reference.  Even if, for the sake of argument, we assume that Silber made it up, by doing so over 40 years ago, he is just one more folk composer adding to the song over the many years it has been around. TJRC (talk) 22:51, 19 March 2014 (UTC)
 * In the original discussion there was only one person who questioned it...LtPowers. After sourcing, LtPowers said "it looks like Irwin Silber is a reliable enough source" and "the Silber book should be good enough". That was it and it has stood for over 6 years. It is absolutely a reliable source and Irwin Silber is a renowned author of folk songs. Newsweek Magazine named the source used as one of its five most important books. Now, whether it should be left where it is or moved into an "other verses section" is up to consensus... I would leave it as is. It's total removal would be ridiculous since it can be reliably sourced. Fyunck(click) (talk) 23:02, 19 March 2014 (UTC)
 * "Good enough" in that most items only need one reference for inclusion. Something I hadn't considered, though, is whether this particular verse is common enough to merit inclusion here, particularly under "The modern version of the song is:".  Red Slash raises an excellent point that the lyrics we include here should reflect a consensus of sources, not the version favored by one specific author, no matter how reliable.  Powers T 00:20, 20 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Which is why I mentioned that it could go under an "other verses" section. Fyunck(click) (talk) 00:58, 20 March 2014 (UTC)
 * For the record, I'm hollering as a point of reference here. I won't argue the movement of the verse by Red Slash, but I will argue the manner in which it was done. He wrote in the synopsis "Alright. As per talk, the verse has been moved to a more appropriate section. Holler if you disagree." Well that's baloney! Red Slash didn't want it at all since he didn't think Silber was a reliable source. TJRC said nothing about moving it at all, just that he thought the verse was worthy. I said I would leave it as is but perhaps consensus would want to move it to a verse section. LtPowers liked the source but thought it might be better in a verse section. I see no consensus for the move, yet Red Slash just up and did it anyways. Then when he moved it (without an ok) he left the source for it on the main verses and left the moved verse sourceless. I fixed it but I found this whole thing to be done in a somewhat unfriendly, demanding, and sloppy manner and I sure hope it's not a portent of things to come at Wikipedia. Fyunck(click) (talk) 04:59, 24 March 2014 (UTC)
 * For the record, I'm hollering as a point of reference here. I won't argue the movement of the verse by Red Slash, but I will argue the manner in which it was done. He wrote in the synopsis "Alright. As per talk, the verse has been moved to a more appropriate section. Holler if you disagree." Well that's baloney! Red Slash didn't want it at all since he didn't think Silber was a reliable source. TJRC said nothing about moving it at all, just that he thought the verse was worthy. I said I would leave it as is but perhaps consensus would want to move it to a verse section. LtPowers liked the source but thought it might be better in a verse section. I see no consensus for the move, yet Red Slash just up and did it anyways. Then when he moved it (without an ok) he left the source for it on the main verses and left the moved verse sourceless. I fixed it but I found this whole thing to be done in a somewhat unfriendly, demanding, and sloppy manner and I sure hope it's not a portent of things to come at Wikipedia. Fyunck(click) (talk) 04:59, 24 March 2014 (UTC)

Your holler is noted. I apologize for having done things in such a way as to upset you. I was frustrated that evidence strongly suggesting that the verse was a minor, minor variant was not considered authoritative enough for me to simply up and remove the verse back when we started the discussion. I did not once discount Silber as a source; however, he's clearly wrong if he states that the disputed verse here is part of the standard lyrics of the song. Clearly. This is indisputable and in fact no one disputes it here. And hey, people make mistakes! Even well-respected people, and even deservedly well-respected people! He probably called in a couple of people to sing the song as they knew it, and in their little town in North Carolina or wherever, someone had added that verse and thought they were clever, and people started singing it along with the rest, and he wrote it down because he didn't have Google Books to check and see if it was standard. Clearly they're not. Once I saw that the logic behind removing the disputed verse from the main words to the song was approved of by all parties (at least I thought so), I performed the removal. Clearly I did not do an excellent job and I do appreciate the work you did on the sources. Red Slash 21:59, 24 March 2014 (UTC) And again, I unreservedly apologize for any incivility. I am very sorry to have upset you if indeed I have. Please forgive me. Red Slash 22:01, 24 March 2014 (UTC)
 * 100% accepted. I wasn't so upset, just that it could have been handled better. I'm not so sure it's as minor as you think. I have seen Pete Seeger perform that verse "live" at concerts (granted in his later years), and at folk events I have attended I would say I hear it about 30% of the time. It may not be published in many sources, but it gets played none-the-less. It may not be seen in a lot of published works because most sources are children friendly recordings and books and that verse doesn't fit well with children's sing-a-longs. Fyunck(click) (talk) 22:58, 24 March 2014 (UTC)

Melody seems to be influenced by the cello solo of Franz von Suppè's "Poet and Peasant Overture"
Franz von Suppé's "Dichter und Bauer" [= "Poet and Peasant Overture"] predates the first publication of "I've been working on the railroad" by about 50 years, and have an identical tune in them. Is it coincidence, or was it borrowed from von Suppe? Aaron Bruce ( talk ) 17:44, 18 September 2014 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the hint. Yes, you're right. The cello solo seems to have inspired "I've been working on the railroad". All the best --Popmuseum (talk) 16:58, 26 December 2018 (UTC)

Full lyrics removal not warranted
WP:Notlyrics doesn't say to remove all lyrics from all articles. It does say to be careful about lyrics after 1924. Maybe we don't need all these lyrics here, but we do discuss the transition of the song lyrics and changes in the song, so not to list the lyrics leaves our readers guessing what is being discussed. I suggest a discussion about what is pertinent and what is not rather than a blanket removal. Fyunck(click) (talk) 06:51, 21 June 2020 (UTC)

Looking for german version
Hello, I found this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz5SBtwuZnY At the beginning a Bundesbahn-choir is singing this song with german lyrics. Where I can find the full version of this song in german?

--Trisi0511 (talk) 23:48, 9 July 2020 (UTC)

Can we remove the racist lyrics, please?
References to them, sure, but the N-word doesn’t seem warranted in an encyclopedia article. See WP:BOWDLERIZE and WP:GRATUITOUS for policy on this. Morganfitzp (talk) 03:57, 28 August 2023 (UTC)
 * So you are asking to censor the original lyrics? That doesn't sound right. Fyunck(click) (talk) 04:15, 28 August 2023 (UTC)
 * There's nothing gratuitous about including the original lyrics. That's not an endorsement of them; it's a historical fact. DonIago (talk) 04:30, 28 August 2023 (UTC)