"The Great Rock Island Route" (Roud 4228), popularized as "Wabash Cannonball" and also known by various other titles, is a 19th-century American folk song that describes the scenic beauty and predicaments of a fictional train, the Wabash Cannonball Express, as it travels on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. The song has become a country music and marching band staple. The only train to actually bear the name was created in response to the song's popularity; the Wabash Railroad renamed its daytime express service between Detroit and St. Louis the Wabash Cannon Ball from 1949 until its discontinuation in 1971 during the formation of Amtrak.
The Carter Family made one of the first recordings of the song in 1929, though it was not released until 1932. Another popular version was recorded by Roy Acuff in 1936. Notably, the original 1936 story titled "Cal Bunyan's Ireland, Jerusalem, Australia & Southern Indiana Railroad" does not mention the Wabash Cannonball.
Lyrics
Over many years, this popular song's music has remained unchanged while the verses have been updated by song artists. As early as 1882, sheet music titled "The Great Rock Island Route" was credited to J. A. Roff. This version and all subsequent versions contain a variation of this chorus:
A rewritten version by William Kindt appeared in 1904 under the title "Wabash Cannon Ball".
A more modern version of the chorus—these lyrics sung by Boxcar Willie—is:
Namesakes
Due to the song's popularity, the Wabash Railroad renamed its daytime express run between Detroit and St. Louis as the Wabash Cannon Ball in 1949. The train carried that name until its discontinuation in 1971 during the creation of Amtrak.
On October 26 and 27, 2013, Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society's Nickel Plate Road 765, in conjunction with the Norfolk Southern Railway's "21st Century Steam" program, pulled a round-trip excursion retracing the Cannon Ball's former route between Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Lafayette, Indiana.
A roller coaster named for the song at the now-defunct Opryland USA theme park in Nashville operated from 1975 to 1997. In 1998, after Opryland's closing, it was relocated to Old Indiana Fun-n-Water Park in Thorntown, Indiana. In 2003, it was moved into storage.
Use in collegiate sports
"The Wabash Cannonball" (arranged by Joel Leach) is known as the unofficial "second" fight song of Kansas State University (KSU), having been played since the late 1960s. It was the only piece of sheet music rescued from the KSU music department in the Nichols Hall fire of 1968, and grew in popularity with students and fans. The Kansas State University Marching Band (KSUMB) says that "the Wabash Cannonball has come to represent the survival of the underdog in the hearts and minds of all true K-State fans, and has earned a secure place in the KSUMB's history and traditions." Currently, Kansas State is the prime contributing player of the song and most noted with Big 12 Conference fans and spectators.
The Longhorn Band at the University of Texas plays the song at the beginning of every fourth quarter during football season. The tradition began when Texas was in the Southwest Conference and Kansas State University was in the Big Eight Conference. Texas band director Vincent R. DiNino once asked football coach Darrell K Royal if he had any songs he would like to hear the Longhorn Band play. Royal's response was that they did not play enough country music and that he would like to hear Wabash Cannonball. The band rivalry developed during the years that both schools were members of the Big 12 Conference.
At Stephen F. Austin State University, the Twirl-O-Jacks traditionally perform to the tune as played by the Lumberjack Marching Band at the beginning of each football game. The band has also been known to play excerpts from the song during various sporting events.
Other recordings
Woody Guthrie, as the Dustbowl Balladeer, adapted the song for his "Grand Coulee Dam", one of several songs he wrote about the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington. He also composed another song, "Farmer-Labor Train", with the same melody. On August 29, 1942, he performed "The Farmer-Labor Train" on the AFL- and CIO-sponsored NBC radio show "Labor for Victory". In 1948, he transformed the "Wabash Cannonball" again into "The Wallace-Taylor Train" for the 1948 Progressive National Convention, which nominated former U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace for president. Alistair Cooke noted some verses:
Baseball pitcher and sportscaster Dizzy Dean, while on the air during rain delays, was famous for off-key renditions of "Wabash Cannonball."
See also
- List of train songs