Song Share: Rock Island Line

By Alex Madrigal

So when i first see the Johnny Cash Remixes CD, i think "this can either turn out awesome! or turn out horribly." I decided to buy it and i was not let down by most of the CD, to be honest, the only song that is still growing on me (very slowly) is the big headlining song on the CD "I Walk The Line" with Snoop Dogg. But for the most part this is a great album, and i chose this song because it wasn't too unchanged but also it's not one of the more radical tracks on the album. I was really close to choosing the song "doin' my time" just because of the haunting use of johnny's vocals during that song. However, i chose this song because I particularly like the approach that the DJ took on this song. It starts out with the original and slowly adds and adds more and more to it. The best part is that the DJ adds on just enough at just the right parts of the song so that it doesn't sound forced.

Title: Rock Island Line (wolf remix)
Artist: Johnny Cash
Album: Johnny Cash Remixed (2008)



Now this here's the story about the Rock Island Line
The Rock Island Line she runs down into New Orleasn
And just outside of New Orleans is a big toll gate
And all the trains that go through the toll gate
They gotta pay the man some money
But of course, if you got certain things on board
You're okay and you don't have to pay the man nothin
And just now we see a change comin down the line
When you come up to the toll gate
The driver, he shout down to the man
I got pigs, I got horses, I got cows
I got sheep, I got all livestock, I got all livestock
I got all livestock
The man say, you alright boy just
Get on through, you don't have to pay me nothin
And then the train go through
And when he go through the tollgate
The train gotta have a little bit of steam
And a little bit of speed
And when the driver think he safely on the other side
He shouts back down the line to the man
I fooled you, I fooled you
I got pig iron, I got pig iron
I got all pig iron,
Down the rock island line is a might good road
Oh the rock island line is the road to ride
The rock island line is a mighty good road
Well if you want to ride you gotta ride it like you find it
Get your ticket at the station of the rock island line
It was cloudy in the west, looked like rain,
but round the corner come-a passenger train.
North-bound train on the south bound track,
you were all right a-leavin but you won't be back
Now I may be right and I may be wrong
but you're gonna miss me when I'm gone
Now the engineer said before he died,
there were two more drinks he'd like to have tried,
the doctor asked him "what could they be"
he said "a hot cup of coffee and a cold glass of tea"