I’ve Been Working on the Railroad

I’ve been working on the railroad,

All the livelong day;

I’ve been working on the railroad,

Just to pass the time away,

Don’t you hear the whistle blowing?

Rise up early in the mornin’

Don’t you hear the captain shouting,

“Dinah, blow your horn!”

Dinah won’t you blow,

Dinah won’t you blow your horn?

Dinah won’t you blow,

Dinah won’t you blow 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-ee-i-o,

Strummin’ on the old banjo.

Also known, as “I’ve been working on the Levee” in the South, the origins of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” are unknown. It is often combined with “Dinah,” another well-known folksong.