The song is considered a traditional that was composed and performed by prisoners in the South. It has that sound of the forgotten, the pleading of the train to take one home, a theme often repeated in songs where trains appear, either taking someone "to Glory," or home to a loved one somewhere.
The first printed edition of this song was in the magazine Adventure in 1923. It was first recorded in 1929 by a group known as Otto Gray and the Oklahoma Cowboys.
Five years later Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Leadbelly, made a recording which made the song famous. He recorded it while in Angola prison in the State of Louisiana. He made several versions of the song.
Some folks say the hero of the song is the writer/singer, but others, like Carl Sandburg, maintains the hero is the train.
The song was performed in the film "Cool Hand Luke" by Harry Dean Stanton. In "Twilight Zone: The Movie" Creedance Clearwater's version again made the song a renewed hit.
The song is here, done in the 1920's style with ukulele and harmonica:
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