Vernon Dalhart
"Wreck Of The Old 97"
1924
Different record companies give the song title in different ways (the lyrics differ, too).
Edison uses this title: "The Wreck On The Southern Old 97."
Radiex uses this title: "Wreck of the Old '97."
Victor's title is close to the one used by Radiex, but Victor puts no apostrophe on 97.
They give him his orders at Monroe,
Virginia, sayin', "Keith, you're way behind
time! This is not 38 but it's ol' 97!
You must put'er in Center on time!"
He looked 'round and said to his black greasy fireman,
"Just shove on a little more coal!
And when we cross that wide ole mountain, you can watch ol' 97 roll!"
________
They gave him his orders in Monroe Virginia
Sayin' "Steve you're way behind time
This is not 38, this is ol' 97
You must put 'er into Spencer on time!"
Steve, he said to his black and greasy fireman
"Jes' shovel in a little more coal,
And when we cross over White Oak Mountain
You can watch ol' 97 roll!"
Oh it's a mighty rough road from Lynchburg to Danville
For the line has a three-mile grade
It was on that grade that he lost his airbrakes
You can see what a jump that he made.
He was goin' down grade makin' 90 mile an hour
When the whistle broke into a scream!
He was found in the wreck with his hand on the throttle
All scalded to death by the steam
A Telegram came from Washington station
And this is how it read
That brave engineer who ran 97
is a-lying in Danville, dead.
So come all you ladies, you must take warnin'
From this time on and learn
Never part on harsh words with your true lovin' husband
For he may leave you, and never return
On August 13, 1924, Vernon Dalhart recorded "The Wreck of the Old '97" for the first time (at this Victor session he also recorded "The Prisoner's Song").
Dalhart was a classically trained singer, but his opera career was not taking off. After seeing a newspaper ad (singers were wanted), Dalhart applied. He auditioned for Thomas Edison. He made Edison recordings--and he worked for other studios.
The train wreck the song speaks of occurred on September 27, 1903, when the Southern Railway freight train called the Fast Mail (or "Old 97") left the tracks and crashed at the Stillhouse Trestle outside Danville, Virginia, killing eleven people.
The accident became an instant media sensation. Newspapers across the country ran photographs of the wreckage and reported on the thousands attending the scene of the accident.
Women fainted at the grisly sight of the debris.
Firefighters were summoned to put out fires ignited by the steam engine.
The lyrics are not exactly stable--different singers use different lines. But the lyrics are most often credited to Fred Jackson Lewey and his cowriter, Charles W. Noell. Lewey was among the spectators that gathered in the aftermath of the accident.
"Wreck Of The Old 97"
1924
Different record companies give the song title in different ways (the lyrics differ, too).
Edison uses this title: "The Wreck On The Southern Old 97."
Radiex uses this title: "Wreck of the Old '97."
Victor's title is close to the one used by Radiex, but Victor puts no apostrophe on 97.
They give him his orders at Monroe,
Virginia, sayin', "Keith, you're way behind
time! This is not 38 but it's ol' 97!
You must put'er in Center on time!"
He looked 'round and said to his black greasy fireman,
"Just shove on a little more coal!
And when we cross that wide ole mountain, you can watch ol' 97 roll!"
________
They gave him his orders in Monroe Virginia
Sayin' "Steve you're way behind time
This is not 38, this is ol' 97
You must put 'er into Spencer on time!"
Steve, he said to his black and greasy fireman
"Jes' shovel in a little more coal,
And when we cross over White Oak Mountain
You can watch ol' 97 roll!"
Oh it's a mighty rough road from Lynchburg to Danville
For the line has a three-mile grade
It was on that grade that he lost his airbrakes
You can see what a jump that he made.
He was goin' down grade makin' 90 mile an hour
When the whistle broke into a scream!
He was found in the wreck with his hand on the throttle
All scalded to death by the steam
A Telegram came from Washington station
And this is how it read
That brave engineer who ran 97
is a-lying in Danville, dead.
So come all you ladies, you must take warnin'
From this time on and learn
Never part on harsh words with your true lovin' husband
For he may leave you, and never return
On August 13, 1924, Vernon Dalhart recorded "The Wreck of the Old '97" for the first time (at this Victor session he also recorded "The Prisoner's Song").
Dalhart was a classically trained singer, but his opera career was not taking off. After seeing a newspaper ad (singers were wanted), Dalhart applied. He auditioned for Thomas Edison. He made Edison recordings--and he worked for other studios.
The train wreck the song speaks of occurred on September 27, 1903, when the Southern Railway freight train called the Fast Mail (or "Old 97") left the tracks and crashed at the Stillhouse Trestle outside Danville, Virginia, killing eleven people.
The accident became an instant media sensation. Newspapers across the country ran photographs of the wreckage and reported on the thousands attending the scene of the accident.
Women fainted at the grisly sight of the debris.
Firefighters were summoned to put out fires ignited by the steam engine.
The lyrics are not exactly stable--different singers use different lines. But the lyrics are most often credited to Fred Jackson Lewey and his cowriter, Charles W. Noell. Lewey was among the spectators that gathered in the aftermath of the accident.
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