During 1960, Horton had two other successes with "North to Alaska" for John Wayne's movie, North to Alaska, and "Sink the Bismarck". Horton is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Johnny Horton had several top ten songs in the late 50's and early 60's and was on the verge of becoming one of the top stars of the 60's when he met with tragedy.
He was born John Gale Horton in Los Angeles in 1925. He was raised in Tyler, Texas. Horton worked in the fishing industry in Alaska and California, and attended Seattle University. He worked for a while as a carpenter, and played basketball at Baylor University. He worked at a local radio station in East Texas and at the Hometown Jamboree in California. He did some recording with little success for the Abbott, Mercury, and Dot labels and picked up the nickname the Singing Fisherman. Horton became a regular on the Louisiana Hayride.
Johnny married Billie Jean Jones, the widow of country music legend Hank Williams. He sang country songs and signed a recording contract with Columbia, where he would achieve his greatest success. Some of his first hits included Honky Tonk Man, I'm A One-Woman Man in 1956, Coming Home in 1957 and All Grown Up in 1958. He topped the country charts in 1959 with When It's Springtime In Alaska.
Johnny Horton then began to record a series of saga songs that crossed over to the pop charts. He covered Jimmy Driftwood's The Battle Of New Orleans in 1959. The song topped the country charts and it reached number one on the pop charts, where it remained for a solid six weeks. The song was a tribute to the final battle of the War of 1812. He also recorded Sink The Bismarck in 1960, a song that was suggested by the film of the same title; it went top ten country and pop. Johnny Horton was a star. He sang the title song for the John Wayne movie North To Alaska and it too made the top ten in both charts during the same year.
On November 5, 1960, while North To Alaska was still climbing the charts, Horton was killed in an automobile accident in Milano, Texas following an appearance at the Skyline Club in Austin. He is buried in Hillcrest Cemetary in Haughton, LA.
Following Horton's death some of his earlier hit songs made the charts once again. Albums of his recordings were compiled and issued in the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's, and they are still selling.
His biography was published in 1983 under the title Your Singing Fisherman.
Rock Island Line
Johnny Horton 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 cows
I got pigs
I got sheep
I got mules
I got all live stock
Well he said you're alright boy you don't have to pay no toll
You can just go right on through so he went on through the tollgate
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
[Chorus]
Down the Rock Island Line she's a mighty good road
Rock Island Line it's the road to ride
Rock Island Line it's a mighty good road
Well if you ride it you got to ride it like you find it
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 a southbound track
He's alright a leavin' but he won't be back
[Chorus]
Oh I may be right and I may be wrong
But you're 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
[Chorus]
Johnny Horton's "Rock Island Line" tells a story of a train ride on the famous Rock Island Line, which runs down into New Orleans. The song outlines how there is a tollgate that the train passes through, and if a person has livestock on board, they do not have to pay the toll. However, in the end, the train driver tricks the collector by claiming he only has animals on board and then revealing that he had pigiron as well. The song has a repetitive, catchy melody that is easy to sing-along to, making it a favorite among country music fans. The song's repetition, along with the story of a train ride, appealed to the working-class people of the time.
Line by Line Meaning
Now this here's a story about the Rock Island Line
Introduction to the story about a railroad called the Rock Island Line
Well the Rock Island Line she runs down into New Orleans
Description of the route of the Rock Island Line railroad
There's a big tollgate down there and you know
Existence of a large tollgate along the Rock Island Line
If you got certain things on board when you go through the tollgate
Specific goods that will exempt a train from paying toll at the tollgate
Well you don't have to pay the man no toll
If the train has the specified goods, they will not be charged a toll at the tollgate
Well a train driver he pulled up to the tollgate
Narration of a train approaching the tollgate
And a man hollered and asked him what all he had on board and said
An official at the tollgate asking the train driver what goods he has on board
I got livestock
Responding to the official with specific goods that the train is carrying
I got livestock
Repetition of the goods carried by the train
I got cows
More specific goods on the train
I got pigs
More specific goods on the train
I got sheep
More specific goods on the train
I got mules
More specific goods on the train
I got all live stock
A summary of all the animals carried by the train
Well he said you're alright boy you don't have to pay no toll
The train is exempted from paying the toll due to the goods on board
You can just go right on through so he went on through the tollgate
The train is allowed to proceed since they didn't have to pay the toll
And as he went through he started pickin' up a little bit of speed
Narration of the train gaining speed as it leaves the tollgate
Pickin' up a little bit of steam
Adding details about the train's speed increase
He got on through he turned and looked back at the man he said
The train operator looks back at the tollgate employee
Well I fooled you
Statement revealing that the operator deceived the tollgate worker
I fooled you
Reiteration of the act of deception
I got pigiron
Disclosing the true nature of the goods on the train
I got pigiron
Reiteration of the pigiron held on the train
I got old pigiron
Clarification of the kind of pigiron they carry
[Chorus]
Refrain about the Rock Island Line being a great railway to travel on
Down the Rock Island Line she's a mighty good road
The Rock Island being a good railroad to travel on
Rock Island Line it's the road to ride
Encouraging people to choose Rock Island Line as their transportation option
Well if you ride it you got to ride it like you find it
Advice to ride and enjoy Rock Island as it is
Get your ticket at the station for the Rock Island Line
Encouraging passengers to purchase tickets for the Rock Island Line
Looked cloudy in the west and it looked like rain
Narration of weather conditions
Round the curve came a passenger train
Description of an oncoming passenger train
North bound train on a southbound track
Detail of the North-bound train heading to the opposite direction
He's alright a leavin' but he won't be back
The departing train will not come back
[Chorus]
Refrain about the Rock Island Line being a great railway to travel on
Oh I may be right and I may be wrong
Uncertainty in opinion, acknowledging that it might be wrong
But you're gonna miss me when I'm gone
People will miss the artist when they're gone
Well the engineer said before he died
A dying engineer said something before he passes
There were two more drinks that he'd like to try
Last wishes of the dying engineer
The conductor said what could they be
A conductor inquiring what drinks the engineer wanted to try
A hot cup of coffee and a cold glass of tea
The drinks the dying engineer would like to try
[Chorus]
Refrain about the Rock Island Line being a great railway to travel on
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Johnny Cash
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alan Batterman
The last two verses are missing.
"It's cloudy in the west and it looks like rain,
Rounding the curves on a passenger train.
Northbound train on a southbound track;
All right leaving, but she won't be back.
The engineer said just before he died,
There's two more drinks that he'd like to try.
Conductor said, 'What could they be?'
'A hot cup of coffee and a cold glass of tea.' "
Seth
This is the BEST VERSION of Rock Island Line. Without a doubt.
Trey Waldrop
man... this song brings back so many memories when i was a kid... i would sit in the old truck at the hunting camp with my grand-pa and listen to this tape over and over with him...
Tempo Drift
Yep, about 1985 I used to hang out at my uncle's and play with my Legos and HO trains with this tape on repeat.
Cale Aronson
I love this song... I remember my mom teaching it to me and her playing her guitar and singing it. Great flashback! I hadn't hear it for years... I am 29 and this isn't a commonly known song for people my age. I have all of Johnny's other songs! Love Sink the Bismark, Comanche, The battle of New Orleans.
Lynne Cook
I grew up listening to Johnny Horton, I love his voice. My kids even like a few of his songs especially Ole Slew Foot and All Grown Up
Nicolas Flint
this is the best version of this song there is..
Russell Myers
I'm an Aussie metal head. but grew up listening to JH...still do.
Mark Thomson
Russell Myers I
Melissa McKinney
I'm Canadian, but love my metal! Pretty much all I listen too, but I also grew up on Johnny Horton, Bluegrass, Merle Haggard, etc...love this song
James Goettig
Yet another real country artist.