The Wabash Cannonball, a Classic Train Song from Family Garden Trains^TM

The Wabash river flows from Northwest Ohio across Indiana to the border of Illinois. There was also a series of railroad-based businesses with Wabash in the name, including the Wabash Railroad (1889-1915), the Wabash Railway (1915-1931), and the PRR-controlled Wabash Railroad (1941-1960). None of those entities, as far as I can determine, ever ran a train called the "Wabash Cannonball" until after the song became famous. In fact, the first published version of this song had the lyrics "Great Rock Island Route" where later versions inserted the words "Wabash Cannonball." So it's possible that the song came before the title, and no one really knows how, when, why, or even if the name changed. There is no question, however, that "Wabash Cannonball" sounds better than "Great Rock Island Route."

Of course no train from the American heartland ever went to both shores, or to all of the cities named in some versions of the song. Several versions describe the train from the hobos' point of view, which has lead some historians to hypothesize that the "Wabash Cannonball" was sort of hobo "tall tale," like the "Big Rock Candy Mountain."

Run Through the Jungle - The "hobo" versions have the train running through the "jungle," which indicates the "hobo jungle," the makeshift shantytowns that hobos often built near railroad yards.

The Tribute Verse - Several versions have a tribute verse to "Daddy Cleton," or "Daddy Claxton," or other names that are entirely different. The hobo versions seem to identify the person being toasted as a late, great hobo. Other versions have the person as being remembered in the courtrooms, which would make more sense if the fellow was, say, a lawyer.

Roy Acuff has pointed out that he has ancestors named Claxton, so he thinks "Daddy Claxton" might be some uncle of his that was a lawyer. Unfortunately, the name "Daddy Claxton" found its way to the song long before the song found its way to the Acuffs, so the chronology doesn't seem to support Roy's hypothesis.

Victory or Dixie - The last line of the tribute verse includes the phrase "carry him home to victory," but southern singers tend to sing it "carry him home to Dixie," a choice that I included in the version below. (I'm not from the south, but "Dixie" just works better.)

When I first published this page, I based my lyrics on a version from a well-known songbook, but in the years since, I realized that most people are more familiar with the versions the Carter Family and - later - Johnny Cash and the Carter Sisters sang. There were countless variations, even by the same groups, so if you have a version you like better, great!

If you don't know the tune and would like to see it on a score, please click here.

Also, if you have a favorite train song, or a favorite performer that I've left out, please contact me and I'll try to track him down. Also, if you don't see the link for a clip in the table below, hit the "refresh" button on your browser. Sometimes Amazon has trouble populating all of the links at the same time.

From the great Atlantic Ocean to the wide Pacific shore,
From the green and flowing mountains, To the southland by the shore,
She’s mighty tall and handsome; She’s known by one and all,
She's the regular combination of the Wabash Cannonball.

Chorus:
Oh, listen to the jingle, the rumble and the roar,
As she glides along the woodlands, over hills and by the shore.
Hear the rushing of the engine, hear the lonesome hoboes call.
No changes need be taken on the Wabash Cannonball.

(The "hobo" version has the last line as "riding through the jungle on the Wabash Cannonball.")

Oh, the eastern states are dandy, so the western people say,
From New York to Saint Louis to Chicago by the way.
To the hills of Minnesota, where the rippling waters fall,
No changes need be taken on the Wabash Cannonball.

Now here's to Daddy Claxton, may his name forever stand,
And always be remembered through the courts throughout the land.
His earthly race is over, now the curtains round him fall.
We'll carry him home to Dixie on the Wabash Cannonball.

Other Resources

• "Mini" Lead Sheet - a gif image showing a snippet of the tune that shows the melody and what chords to play

• Full Page Lead Sheet - A printable page showing the melody and chords for one verse and the chorus.

• Banjo Resources - If you've thought about learning this on a 5-string banjo, here are a few resources that may help you.

  • Banjo Tab - A simplified arrangement for playing the melody on a five-string banjo.

  • Banjo Solo for Practice - a slightly slow version of the banjo part shown in the tab above.

  • Slow Banjo Solo for Practice - A very slow version of the solo, for learning.

  • Banjo Solo With Melody - the same solo with the melody added so you can see how it fits in.

You-Tube Videos of This Song

• Boxcar Willie - Willie's version is one of the "standards" of the genre. One thing nice about it is that you can really understand the words, so if you're practicing the song, this is a good one to work with.

• Johnny Cash Studio recording - with random movies of trains in the video channel. Looking for this recording was the reason I kept finding the other Cash performance below. This is his best recording, but if this link gets taken down, think of the other two as backup :-)

• Jerry Reed live on the old Porter Wagonner show. One thing interesting is how fast Wagonner's band catches on to his unusual tempo and beat - the first line and a half is a bit ragged, and from then on it sounds like they rehearsed every bit. That's the difference between real musicians and the hundreds of wannabees I've known over the years as a guitar teacher. "I don't see why I'll ever need to know more chords than I need to play my favorite songs." "The circle of 5ths is for people who can't feel the music in their gut." See my article How to Give Guitar Lessons for more information.

• Chet Atkins - nobody plays it better.

• Willie Nelson - I admit, Willie's verion with the Highwaymen is better, but it seems to have been taken down. This will still get you a taste of Willie's take on the song.

• Carter Sisters with Johnny Cash - another television appearance.

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    - Paul Race

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