The eyes of Texas


User avatar

Topic author
colonel snow
Posts: 5707
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2015 9:04 am
Location: antarctica
Has thanked: 899 times
Been thanked: 2335 times

The eyes of Texas

Postby colonel snow » Sat May 13, 2017 5:00 pm

see clip in the next post

colonel snow
Last edited by colonel snow on Fri Sep 24, 2021 5:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.


User avatar

Topic author
colonel snow
Posts: 5707
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2015 9:04 am
Location: antarctica
Has thanked: 899 times
Been thanked: 2335 times

Re: The eyes of Texas

Postby colonel snow » Sat May 13, 2017 8:20 pm

see clip

the clip on Youtube has expired now


colonel snow
Last edited by colonel snow on Fri Sep 24, 2021 5:49 pm, edited 4 times in total.


User avatar

Topic author
colonel snow
Posts: 5707
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2015 9:04 am
Location: antarctica
Has thanked: 899 times
Been thanked: 2335 times

Re: The eyes of Texas

Postby colonel snow » Sat May 13, 2017 9:18 pm

Deleted due to doubts about the information.


colonel snow
Last edited by colonel snow on Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:19 am, edited 3 times in total.


User avatar

Colin B
Posts: 26364
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:35 pm
Location: Gravesend - UK
Has thanked: 7158 times
Been thanked: 6636 times

Re: The eyes of Texas

Postby Colin B » Sun May 14, 2017 7:00 am

The Eyes of Texas uses the same tune as I've Been Working on the Railroad.

Which came first ?
Colin B

"Judge a man not by his answers but by his questions" - Voltaire
"Why ?" - Colin B


User avatar

Topic author
colonel snow
Posts: 5707
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2015 9:04 am
Location: antarctica
Has thanked: 899 times
Been thanked: 2335 times

Re: The eyes of Texas

Postby colonel snow » Sun May 14, 2017 10:27 am

Deleted due to doubts about the information.


colonel snow
Last edited by colonel snow on Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:20 am, edited 1 time in total.


User avatar

Private Presley
Posts: 6203
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:01 pm
Has thanked: 511 times
Been thanked: 1379 times

Re: The eyes of Texas

Postby Private Presley » Sun May 14, 2017 11:03 am

ImageImage


User avatar

Colin B
Posts: 26364
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:35 pm
Location: Gravesend - UK
Has thanked: 7158 times
Been thanked: 6636 times

Re: The eyes of Texas

Postby Colin B » Sun May 14, 2017 2:42 pm

Private Presley wrote:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ve_Been_Working_on_the_Railroad


Thanks, Private Presley !

Looks like the 'Railroad' version preceded the 'Texas' one, then...
Colin B

"Judge a man not by his answers but by his questions" - Voltaire
"Why ?" - Colin B


User avatar

Topic author
colonel snow
Posts: 5707
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2015 9:04 am
Location: antarctica
Has thanked: 899 times
Been thanked: 2335 times

The eyes of Texas

Postby colonel snow » Sat Apr 27, 2019 5:41 pm

Deleted due to doubts about the information.


colonel snow
Last edited by colonel snow on Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:20 am, edited 2 times in total.


User avatar

Colin B
Posts: 26364
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:35 pm
Location: Gravesend - UK
Has thanked: 7158 times
Been thanked: 6636 times

Re: The eyes of Texas

Postby Colin B » Sun Apr 28, 2019 10:03 am

The song was used to great effect in the 1955 film 'Giant', starring Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor & James Dean.
Colin B

"Judge a man not by his answers but by his questions" - Voltaire
"Why ?" - Colin B


User avatar

Suspicious Minds
Posts: 3844
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 12:08 am
Location: Heartburn Motel, Promised Land
Has thanked: 3045 times
Been thanked: 1151 times

Re: The eyes of Texas

Postby Suspicious Minds » Thu May 02, 2019 12:40 am

Colin B wrote:
Private Presley wrote:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ve_Been_Working_on_the_Railroad


Thanks, Private Presley !

Looks like the 'Railroad' version preceded the 'Texas' one, then...


Thanks, Colin, I wasn’t familiar with that Railroad version.

So, if I get it right, ‘The Eyes Of Texas’ had new lyrics added to the existing tune of ‘Working On The Railroad’.

Here’s a background story about ‘Working On The Railroad’:

“I've Been Working on the Railroad" may just be one of the best-known folk songs about the U.S. railway system. The song is pervasive and the words are a favorite among recordings aimed at children. Yet, children rarely learn all the lyrics originally intended in the song, as some of those were incredibly racist and deeply offensive.

The Connection Between American Folk Music and Trains

It's hard to imagine folk music, trains, and railroads existing in this country without one another. Countless folksingers—both famous and completely unknown—made their way around the country by train. This includes big names like Woody Guthrie, Utah Phillips, and Bob Dylan.

And yet, some of the greatest American folk songs of all time can be traced back to the building of the railroads, the advent of train travel, and, of course, riding the rails during the Depression. It was at that time when working class men and immigrants (and, as mentioned, folksingers) traveled on trains in search of work.

You may know our nation's railroads were built primarily by African-Americans and immigrants (particularly Irish immigrants). It was grueling work and it was no doubt made more tolerable by the presence of music. It helped lift the workers' spirits in a similar fashion to the field calls and African-American folk songs developed out of the slave tradition.

In the case of "I've Been Working on the Railroad," the telling line is "...all the live-long day." These men really did back-breaking work that lasted well beyond the hours of labor now acceptable in our society.

The Real Story of 'The Levee Song'?

Also known as "The Levee Song," this folk music classic has a confusing history and it might not have much to do with the rails. It was published under that title on two occasions in 1894, yet the 'Dinah' verses can be dated before 1850.

There is also a connection with Princeton University. It's thought by some that the "I've Been Working on the Railroad" we know today was actually created for a musical production at the school. Along with that, there are indications that the song is a mash-up of three different folk tunes.

This last theory explains why the song's verses don't quite fit together. For instance, the lyrics go from the languid "Dinah, blow your horn" to the upbeat "Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah." It's a transition reminiscent of stage productions rather than traditional folk songs.

It is possible that the railroad portion of the song was actually sung by the crews building the nation's railways. Then again, it is entirely possible that it was written later to reminisce about these times. Even the word "live-long" brings up questions as to its origins as it's slightly more collegiate talk than that of common laborers.

Who Is 'Dinah'?

The refrain that talks about someone being "in the kitchen with Dinah" also has debated origins. Some accounts attribute it to 1830s London while others to 1844 in Boston. The original song was titled "Old Joe" or "Somebody in the House with Dinah."

ome believe that "Dinah" references a cook in the kitchen on the train. Others believe it to be a generic reference to an African-American woman.

Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah
Someone's in the kitchen, I know
Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah
Strumming on the old banjo
In addition to that original verse, there is also one about someone making love to Dinah in the kitchen.

None the less, "Old Joe" was a song performed in the minstrel shows of mid-19th-century. Some of the verses included in those shows were incredibly racist, yet this was common in the performances which often depicted white performers in blackface.
https://www.thoughtco.com/ive-been-work ... al-1322525
Don't take yourself too seriously ;-)


Return to “First In Line T-Z”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests