There are a many theories about the origins of the song "The Wabash Cannonball". Most agree that it is an American folk song about a fictional train, probably originating in the 19th century. The song is associated with hobos, traveling and often homeless workers who wandered the western United States particularly from the late 19th century through the Great Depression. According to folk singer and union activist Utah Phillips, "The Wabash Cannonball" was made up by hobos about a mythical train. The song was first recorded by The Carter Family in 1929, and has been recorded by many folk, country and even rock musicians since then. There are many different versions with wide variations of lyrics. When the song became popular, a real train was named after it, as well as a roller coaster at Opryland USA. A rendition of the song was sung on "I Love Lucy" in the early 1950's. The song has become a tradition for marching bands in Kansas and Texas. "The Wabash Cannonball" is on "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll" list.

By the great Atlantic Ocean
on the wide Pacific shore
Heard the queen of flowing mountains
To the South Belle by the shore
She's long, tall and handsome
She's loved by one and all
She's a modern combination
Called the Wabash Cannonball

Chorus:
Listen to the jingle
The rumble and the roar
Riding through the woodlands
Through the hills and by the shore
Hear the mighty rush of engines
Hear the lonesome hobo squall
Riding through the jungles
On the Wabash Cannonball

Now the eastern states are dandies
So the western people say
From New York to St. Louis
And Chicago by the way
Through the hills of Minnesota
Where the rippling waters fall
No chances can be taken
On the Wabash Cannonball

Chorus

Here's to Daddy Claxton
May his name forever stand
And will he be remembered
Through parts of all our land
When his earthly race is over
And the curtain 'round him falls
We'll carry him on to victory
On the Wabash Cannonball

Chorus

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