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Great Grandfather

from Tandem by Steve and Kristi Nebel

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about

This is a 4/4 country song. This track begins with an acoustic guitar rendition of Elizabeth Cotton’s “Freight Train. From there the story begins. This song was written for “Thunder On The Highline” by The Madrones. The Madrones was a trio of Kristi, me (Steve), and J.W. Sparrow. Of the songs I wrote for that project this song, and “The Passenger Train’s Passing” are the only ones that survive in our repertoire. My great grandfather was a railway engineer who was killed in a freak accident when a train trestle collapsed over the Stillaguamish River in 1899. I grew up in that river valley, and my mother told me this story . . . just once. My grandfather was working for the Great Northern Railway as well when this accident took place, and was part of the crew sent to clean up the wreckage. Like Uncle Tupelo.

lyrics

Great Grandfather


As a young boy, he was raised in Minnesota
As a young boy, he played beside the tracks
As a young boy, his father was an engineer
One day his father took his train and never did come back

CHORUS:
Sometimes I think I hear a train grumbling down a valley
I believe I hear an whistle blowing off a head of steam
Or is it just deep waters that flow beneath a trestle
Or Great-grandfather coming to me in my dream

As a young man he never finished high school
As a young man he began to ride the trains
As a young man the railroad found out he was colorblind
The day he lost his railroad job, my grandpa’s life did change

Sometimes you’d think he’d heard a train grumbling down a valley
You’d think he’d heard a whistle blowing off a head of steam
Or was it just deep waters that flow beneath a trestle
Or great grandfather coming to him in his dream?

Sometimes I believe that big machines are in my bloodline
Grandpa taught me how to crush a penny on the tracks
And I don’t know why I’m moved by the rumble of a freight train
Or why my blood runs cold each time I hear a whistle blow

Great-grandfather died beneath a trestle
He drowned in deep water when the trestle timbers broke
As a young boy, I swam Great-grandpa’s river
I’d hear the rumble of a freight train each time Great-grandpa spoke

cHORUS, repeat last line:
Is it Great-grandfather coming to me in my dream?

credits

from Tandem, released March 5, 2023

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Steve and Kristi Nebel image

Steve and Kristi Nebel Tacoma, Washington

Steve and Kristi Nebel bring passion, finesse, and beauty with their songs of social justice, knife edge observations, and pure, simple love. They have traveled extensively having done nine tours in UK folk clubs and festivals. They have recorded more than ten CDs, mostly of their own songs. ... more

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