Monroe sang with some of the "Big Bands" of the '40s era, but his music transcended that style to become a popular radio and television personality - like Perry Como, Dean Martin, etc.
In the Middle of the House
Vaughn Monroe Lyrics
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The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The trains all come through the middle of the house
Since the company bought the land
They let us live in the front of the house
They let us live in the back
But there ain't no livin' in the middle of the house
When a bill collector comes to the house
He knocks and bangs on the door
So we sat him right down in the middle of the house
And he never comes back no more
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
It comes and goes through the middle of the house
And the trains are all on time
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
In and out of the middle of the house
Right smack dab through the middle of the house
Where the parlor used to be
There's a great big door in the front of the house
There's a little old door in the back
But we can't have doors in the middle of the house
'Cause that's the railroad track
A relative came to visit the house
He liked to scream and fuss
So we sat him right down in the middle of the house
And he never more bothered us
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
It comes and goes through the middle of the house
And the trains are all on time
And here comes the five-oh-nine
I'm singin' this song in the middle of the house (train whistle)
Vaughn Monroe's song "In the Middle of the House" tells the story of a house that has a railroad track running right through the middle of it. The song describes the challenges faced by the family who lives in the house because of the railroad. The company who built the railroad allowed the family to live in the front and back of the house but not in the middle. The railroad disrupts their daily lives, as they can’t have doors in the middle of the house because it's the track. Bill collectors knock on the door but do not come back due to the noise of the train. However, when a relative came to visit and made a fuss, they sat him down in the middle of the house, and he never bothered again.
The lyrics describe how the train comes and goes through the middle of the house, precisely where the parlor used to be, with the trains being punctual and on time, with the sound of 5-0-9 on the tracks being heard. The chorus repeats the idea that the railroad comes through the middle of the house and how it’s now part of their daily lives.
Line by Line Meaning
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The railway passes through the center of our house
The trains all come through the middle of the house
The locomotives regularly pass via the middle part of our home
Since the company bought the land
The organization purchased the land where our house was located
They let us live in the front of the house
We reside in the front portion of our house
They let us live in the back
We occupy the back part of our home
But there ain't no livin' in the middle of the house
We can't dwell in the house's center due to the railroad track being there
'Cause that's the railroad track
The railway runs into the middle of our house
When a bill collector comes to the house
When a debt collector comes to our home
He knocks and bangs on the door
He makes loud noises and bangs on our front door
So we sat him right down in the middle of the house
Thus, we made the collector sit right in the center of our home
And he never comes back no more
After that, he never again came to our home
It comes and goes through the middle of the house
The trains run both ways through the middle part of our house
Where the parlor used to be
Where the living room was previously located
There's a little old door in the back
There's a small and old door towards the back of our house
'Cause that's the railroad track
But a door cannot be placed in the center since that's where the track is
He liked to scream and fuss
He enjoyed shouting and making a fuss
And he never more bothered us
We got rid of his nuisance by making him stay in the middle of our home, and after that, he never gave us trouble again
And here comes the five-oh-nine
The 509th train is approaching right now
I'm singin' this song in the middle of the house (train whistle)
I'm performing this tune right in the heart of our home during the passing of a train
Contributed by Addison S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.