Inducted 2006

The exact origins of this song are uncertain, though it is widely believed to predate the American Civil War. It is thought to have evolved from earlier “levee” songs sung by Louisiana’s French-speaking communities in the early 19th century. As African American laborers became the primary workforce involved in levee construction during the 1830s and 1840s, they adapted and carried forward the songs associated with that work.

Enslaved people were later forced to provide labor for railroad construction across the United States, and the song was further adapted to reflect those experiences. As rail lines expanded nationwide, the song—eventually known as "I’ve Been Working on the Railroad" spread alongside them, becoming part of a broader American musical tradition shaped by the labor and resilience of its singers.

The song goes...

I’ve been working on the railroad, all the live long day
I’ve been working on the railroad, to pass the time away
Don’t you hear the whistle blowin’. Rise up so early in the morn
Don’t you hear the captain shouting
Dinah blow your horn

Dinah won’t you blow
Dinah won’t you blow
Dinah won’t you blow your horn

Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah
Someone’s in the kitchen I know
Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah
Strummin’ on the old banjo

Fee fie fiddle-i-o, f ee fie fiddle-i-o
Fee fie fiddle-i-o, f ee fie fiddle-i-o
Strummin on the old banjo