On the Railroad

The fourth track on Written in Salt, this song is a Longest Johns original.

Though written primarily by Dave Robinson, the song's lyrics were fine-tuned and finished by the whole of the band in a collaborative effort.

As is common with work songs, this song begins slow and steadily increases in tempo until its culmination.

Factoids

The First Transcontinental Railroad (originally called the Pacific Railroad) was an approximately 3000 km continuous railway constructed between 1863 and 1869 which stretched from Nebraska to its terminus at San Francisco Bay.^[1]

During the period of railway construction that immediately followed the end of the US Civil War, a major source of labour for one of the companies prominently responsible for the railway's construction was "Freedmen" labour, former slaves who found working for the white-owned railway companies not significantly different than their previous slavery. The chorus "Ain't no slave but we slave away" likely pays homage to that fact.^[2]

"A mile a day" was a common work goal for the three separate companies who contributed to the Transcontinental Railroad, which, if they had managed to maintain that pace (they didn't), would have seen the railway completed in approximately two and a half years, since the route was constructed from each end simultaneously to meet in the middle.^[3]

The railroad met significant difficulties in trying to cross territories held by Native American tribes, particularly the Cheyenne. Despite the fact that numerous tribes and bands had signed treaties with the US, the use of eminent domain to acquire railroad lands was a significant slight, and the railroad itself was a massive disruption to their way of life, particularly with its catastrophic effects on the bison population. The Cheyenne were particularly resistant to these changes, and reportedly engaged in acts of sabotage and attacked settlements along the route in an effort to stop or divert the railroad away from their lands.^[4]

Lyrics

Live Intro

When the song has been included in the live set starting with the 2026 UK tour, the band has added a bluesy intro section. Lyrics here sourced from the June 2026 livestream.

You'll get your pay
When the job is done
Just one more day
Underneath the sun
We'll spend it on whiskey and wine
Anything you want
'Cause tomorrow, you're back on my time
Diggin' trenches and layin' down line
We are building a network of wealth
But those picks, they won't pick up themselves

Main Song

As performed on the album.

Give me a spade and I'll give you a hole (Hole!)
(Way-oh on the railroad)
Dirt on my brow, but steel in my soul
(Way-oh on the railroad) [continues throughout verses]

{Chorus one}
Picking up coal and we're picking up speed
Shovel as much as the engine needs
Sweat and blood gonna earn my pay
All the way to 'Frisco Bay

Blowing through hills, tryin'a make up time (Whuh!)
Ain't nothing gonna stand in the way of our line (Whuh!)

{Chorus two}
Picking up coal and we're picking up speed
Shovel as much as the engine needs
Ain't no slave but we slave away
All the way to 'Frisco Bay

(Hey!)

Boss-man says that a mile a day's the pace (Whuh!)
I'll make two for the look on his face (Huh!)

{Chorus two}

Surveyors tryin'a plan which route is best (Whuh!)
Just draw a straight line from east to west (Huh!)

{Chorus 2}

We spare no quarter and we'll spare no man (Whuh!)
Just pray we don't run into the Cheyenne

{Chorus one}

{Chorus two}

Picking up coal and we're picking up speed
Shovel as much as the engine needs
If I should fall leave me where I lay
On the railway to 'Frisco Bay

Recordings

Streaming/Purchase

Written in Salt version

Commodore 1864 version

YouTube Videos

Gig Videos

Full Band Streams

Gaming Streams

[1] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_transcontinental_railroad

[2] ttps://californiahistoricalsociety.org/blog/the-transcontinental-railroad-african-americans-and-the-california-dream/

[3] ttps://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/_Topics/history/_Texts/GALFTR/7*.html

[4] ttps://dp.la/exhibitions/transcontinental-railroad/human-impact/native-americans

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