Ridin' On The L&N

soundclip

by Burley / Hampton
recording of April 19-21 1987, Frankfurt, Germany
from Life in the Jungle: Charly Blues Masterworks 4 (Charly BM4), copyright notice

Around the bend in the L&N¹
They loaded it down with a lot of men
The whistle blow and through the switch²
Nobody knew just-a which one switch
I'm ridin', ridin on the L&N
I ain't jivin', ridin' on the L&N

Well a man named Quin on the L&N
Runnin'³ around on how she's been
Train slowed down and the men jumped off
I wasn't dead 'cause I heard him callin'
I'm ridin', ridin' on the L&N
I ain't jivin', ridin' on the L&N

A man named Mose with a great big nose
Sleepin' on that pile of toes
The doctor came and he rang the bell
The palla alla⁴ get well, well, well
I'm ridin', ridin' on the L&N
I ain't jivin', ridin' on the L&N

(Spoken: Walter Trout on guitar!)

__________
Note 1: L&N, the Louisville (Kentucky) & Nashville (Tennessee) Railroad (L&N) was chartered March 5 1850 and a 186 mile line was opened between its namesake cities on October 27, 1859. Pictures of the L&N are available at the site of the The Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society;
Note 2: switch, a device made usually of two movable rails and necessary connections and designed to turn a locomotive or train from one track to another. Also, a railroad siding (a short railroad track connected with the main track);
Notes 3 and 4: Runnin' and "palla alla" these parts of the transcript are still very questionable, suggestions are welcome.