Today in Music (1923): “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” first known recording released

I’ve Been Working on the Railroad traditional

Writer(s): unknown (see lyrics here) First published: 1894 First Known Recording Released: April 23, 1923 Peak: -- (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 (sheet music) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 50.93 video, 13.13 streaming (multiple versions)

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The American folk song “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” was first published in 1894 as “Levee Song” in Carmina Princetonia, a book of Princeton University songs. WK The lyrics were adapted over the years to reflect the change of using slaves first to build levees and later to build railroads. The New Fangled Dad blog asserts that “Levee Song” “was minstrel dialect and features what would now be offensive references to cotton bales, the N-word, getting out of jail, and someone, um, let's just say getting fresh with an enslaved black woman and disgracing her man.” ND The first known recording was done in 1923 by the Shannon Quartet. WK The melody for the opening line may have been inspired by the overture of the 1846 operetta Poet and Peasant by Austrian composer Franz von Suppé. WK Another part of the song where the lyrics “someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah” takes its melody from “Old Joe, or Somebody in the House with Dinah.” That music was credited to J.H. Cave as early as the 1830s in London. WK The name “Dinah” even has ties to the Bible and the book of Genesis, where it was used as a generic name for slave women or African-American women. WK Yet another section of the song may have been adapted from “Goodnight, Ladies,” written by E.P. Christy in 1847. WK In short, it is what the New Fangled Dad blog calls “a racist, pirated, jammed together mess of Americana.” ND LingoKids.com described the song as being “about a time where railroads had a large role in the development of the United States. As one of the main types of transportation, trains had a huge impact on the country’s growth. Many people worked on the railroads and told their stories through a myriad of folk songs.” LK This song tells “the story of one of these railroad workers, who worked there all day, from very early in the morning.” LK In 1904, alternate lyrics were written for the song when it was adapted as “The Eyes of Texas,” the University of Texas (Austin and El Paso) spirit song. WK Resources: AM AllMusic.com LK LingoKids.com ND New Fangled Dad blog WK Wikipedia First posted 11/26/2025.