0:00/???
  1. Flagler's Rails

From the recording Florida LISTEN FREE NOW! Note the new pricing on downloads of individual tracks and on the full record.

In cart Not available Out of stock

Flagler’s Rails - © 2000 James Hawkins
Terry Feller – Drums
Bob Wray – Bass
Pat Severs – Banjo & Acoustic Guitar
Johnny B - Dobro
Donny Carpenter – Fiddle
Savannah Bickerstaff & Landis Yarovyy – Background Vocals
Jim Bickerstaff – Vocals
Mindy Simmons once told me about this great folk writer in Florida and eventually introduced me to James Hawkins along with his music. We cut "Swept Away" on Gooseneck Soup and I have always wanted to cut this tune, Flagler's Rails.
It almost didn't make the record. Terry and I sneaked into the studio and cut it by ourselves in an early session (thank you Charles Holloman) on our first overdub day, then added instruments through the day as players came through. By the end of the day, we had another James Hawkins folk standard in the can!
I will let James tell the story of how the song came to him.
“There's not much to say about the writing of this song. I had just put new strings on my guitar and tuned it up. After reading some material about the railroads in Florida I sat with my guitar in my lap and asked myself "if I were someone who lived through this what would I say?" Then Flagler's Rails fell out onto the paper. I just lost myself in the story.” ~ James Hawkins 2019

Lyrics

Flagler’s Rails © 2000 James Hawkins
V1
Hard times dogged us every day
There was no work there was no pay
Then Henry Flagler said come work for me
We’ll lay tracks to Miami and the keys
V2
We laid that track up to five miles a day
Clearing land, building homes along the way
South to Miami was the song we would sing
As we cut that timber you could hear the hammers ring
Chorus
Can you hear the train a'coming
Hear it roaring hear it rumbling
This line was built with blood and nails
As it rolls across this land
Laid down by our own hands
Yeah, we rode Flagler’s rails
V3
We pushed on through the Glades
And we let nothing slow us down
Onward we did go through the land of the Seminole
Further and further Southward bound
Chorus
V4
Now I’m an old man my youth is gone
But I have no reason to complain
If I could do it all again, swear I’d do the same
Cause I’ve got rambling in my veins
2X Chorus