Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing the "Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". Throughout his career, he was an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes.
Belafonte won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category and was the oldest living person to have received the honor.
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Rock Island Line
Harry Belafonte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well the Rock Island Line she runs down into New Orleans
There's a big tollgate down there and you know
If you got certain things on board when you go through the tollgate
Well you don't have to pay the man no toll
Well a train driver he pulled up to the tollgate
And a man hollered and asked him what all he had on board and said
I got livestock I got livestock I got cows I got pigs I got sheep
Well he said you're all right boy you don't have to pay no toll
You can just go right on through so he went on through the toolgate
And as he went through he started pickin' up a little bit of speed
Pickin' up a little bit of steam
He got on through he turned and looked back at the man he said
Well I fooled you I fooled you I got pigiron I got pigiron I got old
pigiron
Down the Rock Island Line she's a mighty good road
Rock Island Line it's a road to ride
Rock Island Line it's a mighty good road
Well if you ride you got to ride it like you finally get your ticket
At the station for the Rock Island Line
Looked cloudy in the west and it looked like rain
Round the curve came a passenger train
North bound train on the southbound track
He's alright a leavin' but he won't be back
Well the Rock Island Line she's a mighty good road
Rock Island Line it's a road to ride
Rock Island Line it's a mighty good road
Well if you ride you got to ride it
Like you finally get your ticket
At the station for the Rock Island Line
Oh I may be right and I may be wrong
But you gonna miss me when I'm gone
Well the engineer said before he died
There were two more drinks that he'd like to try
The conductor said what could they be
A hot cup of coffee and a cold glass of tea
Well the Rock Island Line she's a mighty good road
Rock Island Line it's a road to ride
Rock Island Line it's a mighty good road
Well if you ride you got to ride it
Like you finally get your ticket
At the station for the Rock Island Line
The song "Rock Island Line" tells the story of a train that travels from Little Rock, Arkansas to New Orleans, Louisiana, and the various things encountered along the way. It opens with the singer telling the listener that he's going to tell a story about the Rock Island Line, a metaphor for the journey of life. The train is said to have a reputation for being a "mighty good road," which could be interpreted to mean a favored path or a journey that's generally pleasant. The first verse describes the tollgate that stands in the way of the train's journey, suggesting that the tollgate is an obstacle in the way of the metaphorical journey of life as well. The man at the gate is bribed with the promise of livestock and other useful things to let the train pass without paying the toll.
The second verse of the song introduces a new obstacle on the journey, in the form of a passenger train traveling in the wrong direction on the same track. The imagery of the northbound train on the southbound track adds a sense of danger and impending doom to the story. However, the singer and the train passengers are reassured that everything is going to be okay because the Rock Island Line is such a wonderful route. The final verse is a collection of musings on life and death, with the engineer and conductor discussing their last desires before they die. All of the verses of the song are tied together by the repeated refrain, encouraging the listener to ride the Rock Island Line and enjoy the journey.
Line by Line Meaning
Now this here's a story about the Rock Island Line
The song is about the Rock Island Line.
Well the Rock Island Line she runs down into New Orleans
The Rock Island Line is a train that travels to New Orleans.
There's a big tollgate down there and you know
There is a tollgate in New Orleans.
If you got certain things on board when you go through the tollgate
If you have the right cargo, you can avoid paying the toll at the gate.
Well you don't have to pay the man no toll
If you have the right cargo, you can avoid paying the toll at the gate.
Well a train driver he pulled up to the tollgate
A train driver arrived at the tollgate.
And a man hollered and asked him what all he had on board and said
A man asked the train driver what cargo he had on board.
I got livestock I got livestock I got cows I got pigs I got sheep
The train driver had various types of livestock on board.
I got mules I got all livestock
The train driver had all types of livestock on board.
Well he said you're all right boy you don't have to pay no toll
The man at the tollgate allowed the train to pass without paying the toll.
You can just go right on through so he went on through the toolgate
The train was allowed to pass through the tollgate without paying.
And as he went through he started pickin' up a little bit of speed
The train started to go faster as it passed through the tollgate.
Pickin' up a little bit of steam
The train started to go faster as it passed through the tollgate.
He got on through he turned and looked back at the man he said
The train passed through the tollgate, and the driver taunted the man at the gate.
Well I fooled you I fooled you I got pigiron I got pigiron I got old pigiron
The train driver had tricked the man at the gate by hiding pigiron cargo.
Down the Rock Island Line she's a mighty good road
The Rock Island Line is a great train route.
Rock Island Line it's a road to ride
The Rock Island Line is a train route that is worth riding.
Well if you ride you got to ride it like you finally get your ticket At the station for the Rock Island Line
If you ride the Rock Island Line, you should ride it as though you are going to get your ticket at the end of the line.
Looked cloudy in the west and it looked like rain
The weather appeared to be bad and it looked like it might rain.
Round the curve came a passenger train
Another train appeared on the track.
North bound train on the southbound track
The incoming train was traveling the wrong way on the track.
He's alright a leavin' but he won't be back
The incoming train will never return.
Oh I may be right and I may be wrong
The singer is unsure if they are right or wrong.
But you gonna miss me when I'm gone
People will miss the artist when they are no longer around.
Well the engineer said before he died
The engineer said something before he died.
There were two more drinks that he'd like to try
The engineer wanted to try two different drinks before he died.
The conductor said what could they be
The conductor asked what drinks the engineer wanted to try.
A hot cup of coffee and a cold glass of tea
The engineer wanted to drink coffee and tea before he died.
Well the Rock Island Line she's a mighty good road
The Rock Island Line is a great train route.
Rock Island Line it's a road to ride
The Rock Island Line is a train route that is worth riding.
Well if you ride you got to ride it like you finally get your ticket At the station for the Rock Island Line
If you ride the Rock Island Line, you should ride it as though you are going to get your ticket at the end of the line.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: HUDDIE LEDBETTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brent Merrill
This is amazing. Thank you!!
165Dash
The first song of the first concert I ever attended. 1966...I was 10!
Signed: A future “Deadhead”.
Thanks Mom!
Old Joants
Incongruous