Strum and Sing the Legendary American Train Song “Wabash Cannonball”

From practically the invention of the railroad in the early 19th century, train songs have held a special place in popular music—woven with themes of travel, freedom, longing, and change. They often echo the struggles of working people and the romance of the open road, whether that means the promise of new horizons or a ticket home.

“Wabash Cannonball” is one of America’s most enduring train songs, steeped in folk tradition and railroad lore. Based on an 1882 song titled “The Great Rock Island Route” and credited to J. A. Roff, it was first popularized in the late 19th century and celebrates a mythical train that travels the vast expanse of the American landscape.

People have argued for years about where the inspiration for the song really came from, but the story I like best is the one Utah Phillips used to tell. He said hobos spoke of a ghost train—a “death coach” that showed up when one of them died, to carry the departed soul on to its heavenly reward. They called it the Wabash Cannonball, and swore her whistle had been heard in every station in the country.

The versions most people know today are generally based on recordings from the 1930s by Roy Acuff and the Carter Family. Over the decades, countless artists have recorded their own renditions, often tweaking the lyrics in one direction or another. The version I’m using here is a slightly more hobo-centric one published by folksong collector Alan Lomax.

This is a very basic, simple song, with the verse and chorus melody being essentially the same. We’re going to play it in the key of E, using just four chords: E, E7, A, and B7.

The song is most commonly heard at a spirited tempo, strummed with a flatpick against a band’s driving train beat. I’m using a simple, bouncy, shuffling strum with an alternating bass pattern. That said, I’ve also played the song to great effect with a slower, gentler, folk-style fingerpicking pattern.

My point, as always, is to play with it. Make it your own—and above all, have fun. Oh, and stay off the tracks when you hear that whistle coming!