Lomax was son of pioneering musicologist and folklorist John Lomax, with whom he started his career by recording songs sung by prisoners in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. He attended The Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut, and then went on to earn a degree in philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin and worked on the oral history project for the Library of Congress. To some, he is best known for his theory of cantometrics.
Lomax worked with his father on the Archive of Folk Culture, a collection of more than ten thousand recordings for the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress.
Lomax assembled a highly regarded treasure trove of American and international culture. He spent a lifetime collecting folk music from around the world, particularly from the American South. He also recorded substantial interviews with many musicians, including Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, Jelly Roll Morton, and Jeannie Robertson. He produced radio shows, had a regular television series, and played an important role in both the American and British Folk revivals of the 1950s.
He recorded Irish traditional musicians including some of the songs in English and Irish of Elizabeth Cronin in 1951.
His survey of Italian folk music with Diego Carpitella, conducted in 1953 and 1954, helped capture a snapshot of a multitude of important traditional folk styles shortly before they disappeared. The pair amassed one of the most representative folk song collections of any culture. From Lomax's Spanish and Italian recordings emerged one of the first theories explaining the types of folk singing that emerge in particular areas, a theory that incorporates work style, the environment, and the degrees of social and sexual freedom.
Achievements
Lomax won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award in 1993 for his book The Land Where the Blues Began, the story of the origins of Blues music. Lomax also received a posthumous Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in 2003.
Prettiest Train
Alan Lomax Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Prettiest train, my Lawd, I ever seen
Prettiest train, Lawd, ever seen
I 'clare, she run down to Jackson back to New Orleans
New Orleans, a-New Orleans
I swear she ran down to Jackson
Back to New Orleans.
I declare, no ev'y day Sunday, dollar in your hand
In your hand, in your hand!
I declare, no ev'y Sunday, dollar in your hand!
Mattie, when you marry
Don't marry no convict man
I declare now, ev'y day Monday
Hoe handle in your hand
In your hand, in your hand!
Prettiest woman that I ever seen
I declare now, Rampart Street-a
Down in New Orleans
New Orleans, a-New Orleans
I declare now, Rampart Street,
Down in New Orleans!
You go to Jackson just to show your clothes
I go to Jackson play them dicin' holes,
Dicin' holes, dicin' holes,
I declare now, I go to Jackson, play them dicin' holes.
You go to Memphis, don't you hang around
I swear now, polic'll catch and you're
Workhouse bound,
Workhouse bound, workhouse bound,
I swear now, police'll catch and you're
Workhouse bound.
The lyrics of “Prettiest Train” by Alan Lomax refer to a train that runs from Jackson to New Orleans, which is considered the prettiest train the singer has ever seen. The train is a symbol of freedom and adventure, as it travels through different cities, giving people the opportunity to explore new places and meet new people. The singer also advises Mattie, a woman, on whom to marry, recommending that she goes for a railroad man because they have money, and she will not lack anything, including a dollar in her hand every Sunday. However, he warns her not to marry a convict man because he will always be working, and he will not be able to provide for her. Also, the lyrics feature references to gambling and the consequences of being caught by the police, implying that it is not something to indulge in.
The song's lyrics are a reflection of the African American experience in the south during the 20th century. The singer talks about the trains that were a significant part of African American culture, particularly in the early 1900s. Many Black people used the trains to migrate from the rural south to the urban centers like New Orleans, where they could find work in the factories. The song also refers to the rampant prostitution that existed in New Orleans, particularly on Rampart Street, which was the red-light district.
Line by Line Meaning
Prettiest train that I ever seen, man
This is the prettiest train I have ever seen.
Prettiest train, my Lawd, I ever seen
This train is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
Prettiest train, Lawd, ever seen
This train is the most beautiful thing ever witnessed.
I 'clare, she run down to Jackson back to New Orleans
I swear this train goes all the way from Jackson to New Orleans and back again.
New Orleans, a-New Orleans
This train travels to and from New Orleans.
I swear she ran down to Jackson
I am sure this train travels all the way to Jackson.
Back to New Orleans.
And then it goes back to New Orleans.
Mattie, when you marry, marry a railroad man,
When you get married Mattie, find yourself a man who works on the railroad.
I declare, no ev'y day Sunday, dollar in your hand
If you marry a railroad man you won't have to work every day of the week, you'll always have a dollar in your pocket.
In your hand, in your hand!
You will always have a dollar available to you.
Mattie, when you marry
Again, when you get married Mattie
Don't marry no convict man
Do not marry a man who has been convicted of a crime.
I declare now, ev'y day Monday
If you do, you'll end up working all week long.
Hoe handle in your hand
You'll be doing manual labor, holding a hoe handle in your hand.
In your hand, in your hand!
Again, emphasizing the manual labor you will be doing.
Prettiest woman that I ever seen
This is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
I declare now, Rampart Street-a
She is from or on Rampart Street in New Orleans.
Down in New Orleans
Again, emphasizing the location of this beautiful woman.
You go to Jackson just to show your clothes
You go to Jackson just so you can show off your clothes.
I go to Jackson play them dicin' holes,
I go to Jackson to play in the gambling establishments.
Dicin' holes, dicin' holes,
Emphasizing the gambling establishments again.
I declare now, I go to Jackson, play them dicin' holes.
Reiterating that the artist goes to Jackson for the gambling establishments.
You go to Memphis, don't you hang around
If you go to Memphis, don't stick around too long.
I swear now, polic'll catch and you're
Otherwise the police will catch you and
Workhouse bound,
You'll be sent to the workhouse.
Workhouse bound, workhouse bound,
Reiterating that you'll be sent to the workhouse.
I swear now, police'll catch and you're Workhouse bound.
Emphasizing that you will be sent to the workhouse if you stick around too long in Memphis.
Contributed by Harper P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.