Big Railroad Blues

Lyrics: Noah Lewis
Music: Noah Lewis

Well my mama told me, my papa told me too
Well my mama told me, my papa told me too
Well I shouldn't be here trying to sing these railroad blues

Wish I had listened to oh what mama said (note 1)
Wish I had listened to oh what mama said
Well I wouldn't be here trying to sleep in this cold iron bed (note 2)

Well I went to the depot, I never got there on time
Went down to the depot, never got there on time
Well that train's rolling down, she's rolling down the line

Mister jailer go away now, don't tell me no lies
Mister jailer go away now, don't tell me no lies
Well that train's going down, she's rolling down the line

Well my mama told me, my papa told me too
Well my mama told me, papa told me too
Well I shouldn't be here trying to sing these railroad blues

Wish I had listened to oh what mama said
Wish I had listened to oh what mama said
Well I wouldn't be here trying to sleep in this cold iron bed

The earliest version by the Grateful Dead, on "Rare Cuts And Oddities" contains an extra verse:

I asked the judge now, what might be my fine
I asked the judge now, what might be my fine
Ninety years on the Rocky Island Line (note 3)

Notes
(1) the sheet music has this line as "Should I hear the lesson of what my mama say?" But I'm pretty sure that's a mis-transcription.
(2) similarly, the sheet music has "cold dark bed."
(3) It originally sounded to me that Garcia sang "Rocky Highland Line". But Ben Anderson pointed out to me that this was more likely to be a reference to the Rock Island line, which makes sense. This stanza normally appears in "Worried Man Blues", with some versions (eg by Mel Tillis) having it as "Rocky Island Line". But many (eg the Carter Family, Ralph Stanley etc) have it as "Rocky Mountain Line".

Grateful Dead Recordings
	Date	Album
	Feb/Mar 1966	Rare Cuts And Oddities
	5 Apr 1971	Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses)
	31 Jul 1971	Road Trips Number 1, Volume 3
	7 Aug 1971	Dick's Picks Vol 35
	21 Oct 1971	Dave's Picks Volume 3
	26 Oct 1971	Download Series Vol 3
	17 Nov 1971	Dave's Picks Volume 26
	20 Nov 1971	Dave's Picks Volume 48
	6 Dec 1971	Dave's Picks Volume 22
	10 Dec 1971	Listen To The River: St Louis '71 '72 73
	14 Dec 1971	Dave's Picks Volume 26
	22 Mar 1972	30 Days Of The Dead (2013)
	26 Mar 1972	Dave's Picks Vol 14
	28 Mar 1972	Dick's Picks Vol 30
	8 Apr 1972	Steppin' Out with the Grateful Dead: England '72 (note 3)
	11 Apr 1972	Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
	17 Apr 1972	Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
	26 Apr 1972	Hundred Year Hall (note 4)
	29 Apr 1972	Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
	4 May 1972	Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
	10 May 1972	Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
	11 May 1972	Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
	13 May 1972	Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
	23 May 1972	Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
	25 May 1972	Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
	21 Sep 1972	Dick's Picks Vol 36
	24 Sep 1972	30 Trips Around The Sun
	18 Oct 1972	Listen To The River: St Louis '71 '72 73
	26 Feb 1973	Dick's Picks Vol 28
	20 May 1973	Here Comes Sunshine
	22 Jun 1973	Pacific Northwest '73-'74
	24 Jun 1973	Pacific Northwest '73-'74
	14 Nov 1973	30 Trips Around The Sun
	21 Nov 1973	Road Trips Volume 4, Number 3
	10 Dec 1973	Download Series Vol 8
	19 Dec 1973	Dick's Picks Vol 1
	19 May 1974	Pacific Northwest '73-'74
	19 Oct 1974	Grateful Dead Movie (CD only)
	6 May 1981	Dick's Picks Vol 13
	6 Apr 1982	Road Trips Volume 4, Number 4
	2 Sep 1983	Dave's Picks Volume 27
	21 Oct 1983	30 Trips Around The Sun
	26 Mar 1990	Spring 1990

Other Dead-related Recordings
	Date	Album	Recorded By
	2018	Dead Songs Vol 2	Barton Hills Choir

Notes
(3) also on the box set Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings
(4) also on the box set Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings

Roots
The original recording was by Cannon's Jug Stompers (Gus Cannon and Noah Lewis). I don't know of any covers before the Grateful Dead's, so it seems likely they learnt it off the original recording. The lyrics on that recording are very hard to make out, and it may be that the Dead took took some of the lyrics from elsewhere:

Wish I had of listened, oh Lord, what mama said
Wish I had of listened, oh Lord, what mama said
Lord I wouldn't have been a [??]

Lordy, mama told me, [Lordy, papa told me too]
Lordy, mama told me, [papa told me too]
[??]

Well the railroad that I live [??]
[??] railroad [?]
Mama said [??] [on ninety nine]

Mister [?] go away now, don't tell me no lies
Mister [?] go away now, don't tell me no lies
It might never stop here, keep on riding by

Feel like [??] [I denied]
Lord I did [??]
[?] rolling cross [?]

Further Information
For an online discussion of the lyrics to this song see the deadsongs.vue conference on The Well.
For more information on recordings see Matt Schofield's Grateful Dead Family Discography
For sheet music, see:
Hundred Year Hall songbook (guitar TAB)