Billy Strings Reuben's Train

SONG IMAGE

LYRICS

Well, Reuben Made A Train And He Put It On A Track

Hear That Whistle Blow A Hundred Miles

Oh Me, Oh My Hear That Whistle Blow A Hundred Miles

I Spent Last Night In Jail Nobody To Go My Bail

Lord How it Sleeted And Snowed

Oh Me, Oh My Lord How It Sleeted And Snowed

I’ve Been To The East, I’ve Been To The West

I’m Going Where The Chilly Winds Don’t Blow

Oh Me, Oh My I’m Going Where The Chilly Winds Don’t Blow

If This Train is Running Right, I’ll Be Home Tomorrow Night

I’m 500 Miles From My Home,

Oh Me, Oh My 500 Miles From My Home

I’m Walking Down The Track, Tears in My Eyes

Trying To Read A Letter From My Home,

Oh Me, Oh My Trying To Read A Letter From My Home

Ol’ Reuben made a train and he put it on a track

He ran it to the Lord knows where

Oh me, oh my, ran it to the Lord knows where

SONG SPOTIFY LINK

COVER ARTIST VIDEOS

“Reuben’s Train” – Doc Watson & Gaither Carlton Doc Watson 2020-05-28

BILLY STRINGS VIDEOS

Billy Strings - “Reuben’s Train” - Charleston, SC LawsonFilms 2023-03-11

Billy Strings - "Reuben's Train" (The Roundup) Rounder Records 2020-04-21

FULL LIST OF SONG PLACEMENTS IN ALL SHOWS

Date

Set #

Song Placement

2024-10-19

12 of 13

Fire Line >

Reuben’s Train

, Home

2024-09-28

15 of 15

So Many Miles >

Reuben’s Train

2024-08-23

11 of 11

Fire Line >

Reuben’s Train

2024-08-17

2 of 12

Ol’ Rickard >

Reuben’s Train

, Muskrat

2024-04-27

3 of 13

Fire Line >

Reuben’s Train

, Nothing’s Working

SONG

Reuben’s Train

Cover

SONG TYPE

WRITTEN BY

Traditional

ARRANGED BY

Traditional

Billy Strings Live Vol. 1

ALBUM

SONG INFO

Origin: Traditional (Appalachia, Southeast, late 1800's).

Robert Duncan Bass recorded perhaps the earliest version of a variation of this song sung by two African-Americans in 1905 in Florence County, SC.

Later, Robert W. Gordon collected a version by Bascom Lamar Lunsford titled "Old Reuben" in 1925, of which Lunsford said he'd been taught it as a teenager in 1898 in Buncombe County, NC.

This old train song goes by many names, but most commonly "Reuben's Train," "Train 45," and "900 Miles."

First release as "I'm Nine Hundred Miles Away from Home" by Fiddlin' John Carson (1924)
First recorded as "Train 45" by Grayson & Whitter (1927)
Released as "Old Ruben" by Doc Watson, Gaither Carlton (1961)
Released as "Reuben's Train" by Dock Boggs (1970)
Also covered by Jeff Austin

SONG INFO

SONG STATS

FIRST TIME PLAYED

2012-08-23 The Hayloft Inn – Traverse City, MI

MOST RECENT TIME PLAYED

2024-10-19 Orion Amphitheater – Huntsville, AL

TOTAL TIMES PLAYED

TOTAL TIMES YOU'VE SEEN

–

Longest Version (15:13)

2022-03-26 Islington Assembly Hall - London, UK

Shortest Version (2:36)

2019-09-21 The Independent - San Francisco, CA

LAST 3 TIMES PLAYED

2024-10-19 Orion Amphitheater – Huntsville, AL 2024-09-28 Renewal Festival – Buena Vista, CO 2024-08-23 Kia Forum – Inglewood, CA

VERSION

Longest Version (15:13)

2022-03-26 Islington Assembly Hall - London, UK

Shortest Version (2:36)

2019-09-21 The Independent - San Francisco, CA

TIMES PLAYED PER YEAR

Set 1

Set 2

Set 3

33 23 0

Set 1 Opener

Set 2 Opener

Encore

1 0 0

Set 1 Closer

Set 2 Closer

3 1

SONG IMAGE

SONG IMAGE

LYRICS

SONG SPOTIFY LINK

COVER ARTIST VIDEOS

BILLY STRINGS VIDEOS

FULL LIST OF SONG PLACEMENTS IN ALL SHOWS

Date

Set #

Song Placement

SONG

Reuben’s Train

SONG TYPE

WRITTEN BY

ARRANGED BY

ALBUM

SONG INFO

SONG INFO

SONG STATS

FIRST TIME PLAYED

MOST RECENT TIME PLAYED

TOTAL TIMES PLAYED

TOTAL TIMES YOU'VE SEEN

Longest Version (15:13)

Shortest Version (2:36)

LAST 3 TIMES PLAYED

VERSION

Longest Version (15:13)

Shortest Version (2:36)

TIMES PLAYED PER YEAR

SONG PLACEMENTS

TOTAL TIMES PLAYED: 56

Set 1

Set 2

Set 3

Set 1 Opener

Set 2 Opener

Encore

Set 1 Closer

Set 2 Closer

OFFICIAL BILLY STRINGS LINKS