7369 old music 2402 - KET

Program 4
Sparky and
Rhonda Rucker
Instruments:
harmonica, guitar
The Gospel Train
(Traditional)
This song is one of the many that were used in the Underground Railroad. This
abolitionist-inspired movement had many “code-word” songs, such as “Swing
Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Steal Away,” “I’m on My Way to Canaan (Canada) Land,”
and “The Old Tar River’s Gonna Run Tomorrow.” One song, “Follow the Drinking
Gourd,” was actually a map that would lead the slaves north to freedom. The
“drinking gourd” was the Big Dipper, which points the way to the North Star in the
tail of the Little Dipper. This, and other symbols in the song, gave the runaway
slave explicit instructions on his journey.
“The Gospel Train” is full of “symbols.” The title refers to the Underground
Railroad, which was organized like a railroad with “stations” for the runaways to
stop and hide. These places were usually in the homes of sympathizers, perhaps a
Quaker family. The runaways could hide in a false cellar, the barn, a cave, or any
unlikely place. There were also, of course, “conductors,” usually previously
escaped slaves who knew the particular route the escapees would be taking. Some
very prominent persons in this field were Frederick Douglass; Isabella (who took
the name Sojourner Truth); and Harriet Tubman, who was called “Moses” by the
people she led to freedom. The reference to “heaven” in the last verse literally
meant “freedom” to the original singers of this song.
These songs were often sung just before an escape in an attempt to let all who
wished to go know that the time was near. The “code words” were essential to
keep from arousing suspicion among those who would try to prevent the escape.
The Bibliography contains resources you can use to obtain additional
information about the Underground Railroad.
Chorus:
Get on board, children, children
Get on board, children, children
Get on board, children, children
There’s room for many a more
The gospel train is comin’
I hear it ’round the curve
She’s loosened all her steam and brakes
And straining every nerve
(chorus)
The fare is cheap and all can go
The rich and poor are there
No second class aboard this train
No difference in the fare
(chorus)
The gospel train is coming
It sure is speeding fast
So get your tickets ready
Gonna ride to heaven at last
KET, The Kentucky Network 19