[PDF] Untitled I've Been Working on

What is I've been working on the railroad?

I’ve Been Working On the Railroad is the very ?rst song I ever learned how to play on ukulele, so I’m excited for you to learn it. It’s a classic, must-know song. My grandpa taught it to me, and ironically, he worked on the railroad. If you’re not familiar with this song, listen to me perform it here. How to Learn a New Song on the Ukulele

Is “I've been working on the railroad” a true folk song?

Black railroad workers by then were more often portrayed as porters and maids. The song we know of as a “I’ve been Working on the Railroad” turns out to be a true folk song in the sense that it evolved over time and its author, and even the author of at least one of its constituent parts (the bridge), remains unknown.

Is I've been working on the railroad racist?

" 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.

Why was working on the railroad a grueling work?

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."