The band split in 1977 and reunited in 1980, splitting again in 1983. Since reuniting in 1996 they have remained active, although Farner left the band in 1999. The group currently consists of Max Carl (vocals), Bruce Kulick (guitar), Mel Schacher (bass), Tim Cashion (keyboards), and Don Brewer (drums, vocals).
Despite their name, their music is far from the style known as "funk"; the name "Grand Funk Railroad" is a play on Michigan's "Grand Trunk Western Railroad" line, and it was chosen before "funk" had become the name of a music genre. In 1968, suburban Michigan teens Don Brewer and Mark Farner quit Terry Knight and The Pack and recruited ? and The Mysterians bass player Mel Schacher to form a power trio inspired by contemporary rock n roll.
Early in their career, they headlined a much hyped free concert in Hyde Park, wowing the audience whilst being virtually unknown in the U.K. They also opened for Led Zeppelin in Michigan, their home state. Originally produced and managed by former band leader Terry Knight who brought the group to Capitol records in 1969, they split from Knight in 1972 after money issues left the group nearly bankrupt despite massive commercial success which began after an successful appearance at the Atlanta Pop Festival.
After releasing 12 albums on Capitol (10 platinum), they intend for their final release to be Born To Die in 1975. They actually reunited & recorded one last effort in 1976 with Frank Zappa called "Good Singin' Good Playin' " and then called it quits.
Farner released two solo albums, Mel & Don recorded as Flint with Craig before Craig joined [aritst]Bob Seger's band. In 1981 Mark Farner & Don reformed the band without Mel and released a song on the animated Heavy Metal soundtrack and new album Grand Funk Lives. They toured until 1983.
In 1996 all three original members reunited for a summer tour in which they played to over 250,000 people, and a slate of Bosnian relief dates in 1997 including several TV performances. In 1998 they did a 65+ date tour listed as one of the 10 top grossing tours of the year. In 1999 Capitol issued a 3 disc box set called "Thirty Years Of Funk" 1969-1999, including recent recordings made in 1997.
Original Grand Funk Railroad members Don & Mel still tour and write new material to this day although the group have seen various line up changes, including the absence of original lead singer Mark Farner. Mark is active with his New band Nr'G. They have released 3 CD's since 1999 with For The People released in 2006.
Studio Albums:
* On Time (1969)
* Grand Funk (The Red Album) (1969)
* Closer to Home (1970)
* Survival (1971)
* E Pluribus Funk (1971)
* Phoenix (1972)
* We're an American Band (1973)
* Shinin' On (1974)
* Monumental Funk (1974)
* All the Girls in the World Beware!!! (1974)
* Born to Die (1976)
* Good Singin', Good Playin' (1976)
* Grand Funk Lives (1981)
* What's Funk? (1983)
Live albums:
* Live Album (1970)
* Caught in the Act (1975)
* Bosnia (1997)
* Thirty Years of Funk: 1969-1999 (1999)
* Live: The 1971 Tour (2002)
Compilations:
1972 Mark, Don & Mel: 1969–71
1976 Grand Funk Hits
1990 The Best of Grand Funk
1991 Capitol Collectors Series
1992 Heavy Hitters!
1999 Thirty Years of Funk: 1969-1999
2002 Classic Masters
2006 Greatest Hits
The Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seem like the noon-day sun ain't never gonna' stop.
The work is hard in a railroad yard,
Hey, hey, gotta' make it today to punch a time card.
Workin' on the railroad.
Chorus
Come on and ride the railroad, one more time.
Oh, you know, the railroad is a mighty good line,
Come on and ride the railroad, one more time.
Dirt and sweat, runnin' down my back,
Workin' on the railroad.
Work all day long up and down the railroad tracks.
Workin' on the railroad.
I'm a God fearing man, and with many I stand,
Workin' on the railroad.
And with God we've been working, all hand in hand.
Workin' on the railroad.
Chorus
Oh, you know, the railroad is a mighty good line,
Workin' on the railroad.
Come on and ride the railroad, one more time.
Workin' on the railroad.
Oh, you know, the railroad is a mighty good line,
Come on and ride the railroad, one more time.
The lyrics to Grand Funk Railroad's song "The Railroad" describe the hard work and dedication required to work on the railroad. The singer wakes up early each morning to work, even when the sun is shining at its peak. The work is tough in the railroad yard, but he must make it through the day to earn a paycheck. The chorus emphasizes the greatness of the railroad and invites listeners to come and experience it again.
The verse continues to depict the arduous labor involved in working on the railroad- dirt and sweat rolling down the singer's back as he works up and down the tracks all day long. Despite the hardships, he is proud to be working alongside God-fearing men, and together they have been hand-in-hand working on the railroad. The chorus repeats the invitation to come and ride the railroad once more, driving home the message that this hard work is not just a job, but an experience to be had.
Overall, "The Railroad" tells the story of blue-collar workers who work tirelessly to keep the railroad running. The lyrics focus on the value of hard work and the importance of community that is shared among those who work on the railroad.
Line by Line Meaning
Up each morning at five o'clock,
Starting work early each day
Seem like the noon-day sun ain't never gonna' stop.
Working through long hours under the hot sun
The work is hard in a railroad yard,
Heavy manual labor required in maintaining railroads
Hey, hey, gotta' make it today to punch a time card.
Need to work hard to maintain a steady job and income
Workin' on the railroad.
Consistently putting in effort to maintain and improve the railroad system
Oh, you know, the railroad is a mighty good line,
Recognizing the importance and value of the railroad industry
Come on and ride the railroad, one more time.
Encouraging others to experience and appreciate the railroad's impact
Dirt and sweat, runnin' down my back,
Physical toll of hard work in the railroad industry
Work all day long up and down the railroad tracks.
Continuously maintaining the extensive railroad network
I'm a God fearing man, and with many I stand,
Religious beliefs and shared experiences among railroad workers
And with God we've been working, all hand in hand.
Finding strength and unity through faith while working together
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MARK FARNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jkyles
Up each morning at five o'clock,
Seem like the noon-day sun ain't never gonna' stop.
The work is hard in a railroad yard,
Hey, hey, gotta' make it today to punch a time card.
Workin' on the railroad.
Oh, you know, the railroad is a mighty good line,
Come on and ride the railroad, one more time.
Oh, you know, the railroad is a mighty good line,
Come on and ride the railroad, one more time.
Dirt and sweat, runnin' down my back,
Workin' on the railroad.
Work all day long up and down the railroad tracks.
Workin' on the railroad.
I'm a God fearing man, and with many I stand,
Workin' on the railroad.
And with God we've been working, all hand in hand.
Workin' on the railroad.
Oh, you know, the railroad is a mighty good line,
Workin' on the railroad.
Come on and ride the railroad, one more time.
Workin' on the railroad.
Oh, you know, the railroad is a mighty good line,
Come on and ride the railroad, one more time.
Sean Matthew Mangels Hall
@The Other Side of Dead Creek I do have some suggestions actually:
The Move - No Time
Rolling Stones - I Just Want To See His Face
Thomas Jefferson Kaye - L.A.
John Cale - Mr. Wilson
Zager & Evans - In The Year 2525
Gene Pitney - Town Without Pity
Todd Rundgren - Couldn't I Just Tell You?
M Smith
I owned this album as a teenager and played it almost daily (but then again I owned every GFR album). In my opinion, GFR is one of the most, if not the most, underrated bands of all time. Each member is an unbelievably talented professional musician on their instruments(s) with Don and Mel being amongst the best in the world at the time on bass and drums. And again, in my opinion, Mark Farner was one of the most talented musician's that rock and roll has ever seen perform. He played drums, bass (early on), keyboards, harmonica and lead guitar. And he played all of them at a very high level...he also was the lead vocalist, who had the talent vocally to be the front man vocally for any band without ever playing any of the instruments. He also wrote 90% of the songs for GFR. An unbelievably talented and blessed man. This band was the top rock and roll band in the world for several years in the very early seventies....I was fortunate to be a part of it all.
Brian Andrews
I'm 65 and I was a big Grand Funk Railroad fan
catherine thompson
ashamed to say just discovered this fantastic band! born in 65 in UK so bit young when they were at their peak.death of eddie van halen has triggered me to listen to a lot of the early rock.always loved deep purple and van halen.live not far from where Black sabbath originated but missed out on a lot of other stuff from the states.Im truly blown away by this band! Mark Farner has to be one of the best and underrated rock vocalists of all time and its a travesty the band are not in the Rrhf!!! in my humble opinion and its controversial but i rate them above zeppelin! Plantys voice grates.Thank you USA for this fabulous talented group of musicians!!!!
Edward Palumbo
I was at the show in 1971 at Shea, Humble Pie opened for them,
dontworrydon
They sold our Shea Stadium in record time......people in the know, knew!
mike sun
This album was during the time they were suing Terry Knight to get the name back. When they fired him as their manager he kept the rights to Grand Funk Railroad. He even went so far as producing an album for another band called Railroad. This was an amazing album with a lot of history behind it.
catherine thompson
Also if im not mistaken Farners dad was killed on a railroad crossing in a car and it prompted him to write this,its an emotional number!! saw him discussing it in an interview.
Keith Bartholomew
God I love this song! Mark nails it!!
Videlle
Them notes he hits
Ernani Roic
this band is sensational! this music is a trip!