from Sunday Creek: Murphey
Huge Murphey
1844-1883
Here's to the Spike, the mighty nail!
Drink to the Spike that holds the rail!
And here's to the sleepers, ties that bind
from coast to coast all of mankind!
To the giant stitch from East to West
from Plymouth Rock through the Rockies' crest!
Here's to the tunnels in solid rock
where we made a way for the rolling stock!
Here's to the culverts! Here's to the bridges!
Here's to the trestles between the ridges!
To the railroad bed from end to source!
To the health of the mighty Iron Horse!
Here's to Villard and all the bosses!
Large be their profit and small their losses!
To the grand success of the whole damn scheme!
Now drink to the Age of Steam!
Here's to the Workers! Here's to the tools!
To every hitch of Missouri mules
that dragged a scraper or hauled a load!
To men that died as we built the road!
To the Irish lads with their sweating backs!
And here's to the whores at end-of-tracks!
Here's to the coolie with braided mane!
Here's to the goddam railroad train!
Here's to the country's Iron Spine!
Drink to the goddam railroad line!
Fill your glass and drink it down!
Now drink to a railroad man in town!
Drink to Murph on a happy howl
in Sunday Creek where he ran afoul
of a drunken cowboy in a saloon!
Drink to the piper! Pay for the tune!
For a little while I sent him to school
where the Marquis of Queensbury wrote the rule!
On the umpteenth time he hit the floor
he skinned a cut-off forty-four
and loaded me up with a freight of lead!
When I woke up, By God, I was dead!
So drink to Murph and his empty stool!
Barley juice for the absent fool!
Drink to the work of his mighty hand!
To the iron rails across the land!
To Wood! To Coal! To Water! Steam!
To the rattle of cars! To the Whistle’s scream!
To Bearing! Axle! Piston! Gear!
To Fireman. Oiler! Engineer!
To Brakeman! Switchman! Gandydancer!
Call for a toast and all will answer!
The Future’s here! There’s no way back!!
So drink to the goddam Railroad Track!
Here’s to the Line! Our Holy Grail!
Drink to the Spike, the mighty Nail.
Huge Murphey (1844-1883)
Murphy is a fiction built up from folklore’s stereotypes of early railroad men.
Illustration: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
TITLE: [Railroad engine] / W.J. Morgan & Co. lith., Cleveland, O. ; designed by A.J. Johnson, Cleveland, O.
CALL NUMBER: PGA - Morgan & Co.--Railroadengine (D size) [P&P]
REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-USZC4-2365 (color film copy transparency)
LC-USZ62-1349 (b&w film copy neg.)
CREATED/PUBLISHED: Cleveland, Ohio : W.J. Morgan & Co. lith., c1874.
SUBJECTS: Railroad locomotives--1870-1880.
1844-1883
Here's to the Spike, the mighty nail!
Drink to the Spike that holds the rail!
And here's to the sleepers, ties that bind
from coast to coast all of mankind!
To the giant stitch from East to West
from Plymouth Rock through the Rockies' crest!
Here's to the tunnels in solid rock
where we made a way for the rolling stock!
Here's to the culverts! Here's to the bridges!
Here's to the trestles between the ridges!
To the railroad bed from end to source!
To the health of the mighty Iron Horse!
Here's to Villard and all the bosses!
Large be their profit and small their losses!
To the grand success of the whole damn scheme!
Now drink to the Age of Steam!
Here's to the Workers! Here's to the tools!
To every hitch of Missouri mules
that dragged a scraper or hauled a load!
To men that died as we built the road!
To the Irish lads with their sweating backs!
And here's to the whores at end-of-tracks!
Here's to the coolie with braided mane!
Here's to the goddam railroad train!
Here's to the country's Iron Spine!
Drink to the goddam railroad line!
Fill your glass and drink it down!
Now drink to a railroad man in town!
Drink to Murph on a happy howl
in Sunday Creek where he ran afoul
of a drunken cowboy in a saloon!
Drink to the piper! Pay for the tune!
For a little while I sent him to school
where the Marquis of Queensbury wrote the rule!
On the umpteenth time he hit the floor
he skinned a cut-off forty-four
and loaded me up with a freight of lead!
When I woke up, By God, I was dead!
So drink to Murph and his empty stool!
Barley juice for the absent fool!
Drink to the work of his mighty hand!
To the iron rails across the land!
To Wood! To Coal! To Water! Steam!
To the rattle of cars! To the Whistle’s scream!
To Bearing! Axle! Piston! Gear!
To Fireman. Oiler! Engineer!
To Brakeman! Switchman! Gandydancer!
Call for a toast and all will answer!
The Future’s here! There’s no way back!!
So drink to the goddam Railroad Track!
Here’s to the Line! Our Holy Grail!
Drink to the Spike, the mighty Nail.
Huge Murphey (1844-1883)
Murphy is a fiction built up from folklore’s stereotypes of early railroad men.
Illustration: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
TITLE: [Railroad engine] / W.J. Morgan & Co. lith., Cleveland, O. ; designed by A.J. Johnson, Cleveland, O.
CALL NUMBER: PGA - Morgan & Co.--Railroadengine (D size) [P&P]
REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-USZC4-2365 (color film copy transparency)
LC-USZ62-1349 (b&w film copy neg.)
CREATED/PUBLISHED: Cleveland, Ohio : W.J. Morgan & Co. lith., c1874.
SUBJECTS: Railroad locomotives--1870-1880.
