I’ve Been Working On The Railroad

From Vol. 2
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SUGGESTED KEY: B

CAPO: Fret 4

CHORD FAMILY: G

TIME SIGNATURE: 3/4

SKILL LEVEL: Advanced

A Little About This Song…

I’ve Been Working On The Railroad was first published in Carmina Princetonia: The Princeton Song Book in 1898 under the title “The Levee Song”, though its author was unnamed. Its minstrel vernacular was eventually dropped along with the reference to a levee.

The part about Dinah, added in the mid-20th Century, appears to be lifted from an English song from the 1830’s, its music credited to J. H. Cave.

Lots of interesting chord changes make this one fun to play.  It changes tempo in the middle of the song but overall it’s easy to remember once you can get a handle on the chord progression.