Album: Rock Invasion (1956)
Charted: 8 8
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  • Now this here's a story about the rock island line
    Well the rock island line, she runs down into New Orleans
    There's a big tollgate down there
    and you know if you got certain things on board when you go through the tollgate,
    well you don't have to pay the man no toll.

    Well the train driver, he pulled up to the tollgate
    and the man hollered and asked him what he all had on board and he said,
    I got livestock, I got livestock,
    I got cows, I got pigs, I sheep, I got mules, I got all live stock
    Well he said you're all right boy, you don't hafta pay no toll,
    you can just go right on through so,
    he went on through the tollgate
    and as he went through he started picking up a little bit of speed,
    picking up a little bit of steam
    he got on through and he turned looked back at the man, he said
    Well I fooled you, I fooled you, I got pig iron, I got pig iron, I got all pig iron

    Now the rock island line shes a mighty good road
    rock island line it's the road to ride
    rock island line shes a mighty good road
    Well if you ride it you gotta ride it like you find it
    get your ticket at the station for the rock island line

    Whoa it's cloudy in the west and it looks like rain,
    'round the curve come passenger train
    North bound train on a south boud track,
    he's all right a'leavin', but he won't be back

    Well the rock island line shes a mighty good road
    the rock island line it's the road to ride
    the rock island line shes a mighty good road
    Well if you ride it you gotta ride it like you find it
    get your ticket at the station for the rock island line

    Whoa I may be right and I may be wrong,
    but you're gonna miss me when I'm gone

    Well the engineer said before he died,
    there were two more drinks that he'd like to try
    The doctor said what could they be?
    A hot cup of coffee and a cold glass of tea

    Well rock island line she's a mighty good road
    rock island line it's the road to ride
    rock island line shes a mighty good road
    Well if you ride it you gotta ride it like you find it
    get your ticket at the station for the rock island line Publisher: T.R.O. INC.
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 5

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn May 19th 1956, Lonnie Donegan and his Skiffle Group performed "Rock Island Line" on the NBC-TV program 'The Perry Como Show'...
    At the time the song was at #24 on Billboard's Top 100 chart; one month earlier on April 5th, 1956 it had peaked at #8 {for 1 week} on Billboard's Best Sellers in Stores chart and stayed on the Top 100 for 17 weeks.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 25th 1970, Johnny Cash performed "Rock Island Line"* on his own ABC-TV weekly series 'The Johnny Cash Show'...
    A little over a month earlier on February 22nd, 1970 his covered version of the song entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #93, and that was its peak position on the chart because it stayed on the chart for only one week...
    It reached #35 on Billboard's Hot Country singles chart and #22 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart...
    'The Man in Black' passed away on September 12th, 2003 at the age of 71...
    May he R.I.P.
    * This version by Mr. Cash was actually recorded in 1958.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 10th 1956, Bobby Darin performed "Rock Island Line" on the CBS-TV program 'The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show', it was his first appearance on TV...
    Two years and three months later his first charted record, "Splish Splash", would entered Billboard's Top 100 at #51, and on August 4th, 1958 it would peak at #3 {for 1 week} and spent 15 weeks on the Top 100...
    Between 1958 and 1973 he had forty Top 100 records; ten made the Top 10 with one reaching #1, "Mack the Knife" for 9 weeks in 1959...
    He just missed having a second #1 record when "Dream Lover" peaked at #2 {for 1 week} in 1959; the week it was at #2, "The Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton was at #1...
    Mr. Darin, born Walden Robert Cassotto, passed away on December 20th, 1973 at the young age of 37...
    May he R.I.P.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 10th 1956, "Rock Island Line" by Lonnie Donegan and his Skiffle Group entered Billboard's Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #8 and spent 17 weeks on the Top 100...
    The group had two other records make the Top 100; "Lost John" (#58 in 1956) and "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor (On the Bedpost Overnight)" (#5 in 1961)...
    R.I.P. Mr. Donegan, born Anthony James Donegan MBE, (1931 - 2002).
  • Zabadak from London, EnglandAlthough Donegan spent most of his (successful) career on the Pye label in the UK, it is this Decca song for which he will probably be most fondly remembered.
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