Wreck on the Somerset Road, The

DESCRIPTION: "On a dark stormy morning when the snow was falling" a train sets out for St. Louis. A sleepy brakeman and conductor both think this will be their last trip. But five men had broken the railing; the train is wrecked and the men never arrive
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1937 (collected from Justis Begley)
KEYWORDS: train wreck disaster humorous derivative
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Lomax/Lomax-OurSingingCountry, pp. 254-256, "The Wreck on the Somerset Road" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, SOMRSTRD*
Roud #4141
NOTES [66 words]: This is item dG41 in Laws's Appendix II. It is probably derived from "The Wreck of Old 97" [Laws G2] or something like it, although the tune has drifted a bit. Note the parodic elements; the conductor is not noble; rather, he has STOLEN enough from the railroad to be able to live for the rest of his life. If it is based on a real incident, that incident does not seem to have been identified. - RBW
Last updated in version 3.2
File: LoSi253

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