Copying the thing

 

 Years of watching television late at night with the sound off has lead me to believe that there are a thousand scenarios for any scene presented. This could be a couple being married confronted by a angry suitor, or a couple being married by a alien, or  a couple being married by a gay woman priest that had been a man in a previous life that that been married to the woman here. It all works. Perhaps the same is true with melody. Here is the mythic depression, the wants-bes of the 60s wishing they were struggling in the 30s.  Woody Allen pretending to be a wanta-be that wanted the 20s in Paris.(The Streets of Paris, the latest movie) Bobby (Dylan) wanted to be Woody Guthrie. George Harrison, etc s, wanted to be Roy Orbison. 

I found this recently:

THE GREAT ROCK-ISLAND ROUTE  by J.A Roff  1882

Dedicated to The General Ticket & Passenger Agent

G                                                                              C
From a rocky bound Atlantic to a mild Pacific Shore
D7                                                                                     G
From a fair and sunny southland to an ice bound Labrador
G                                                                                                                  C
There’s a name of magic import and tis known the world throughout
    D7                                                                                          G
Tis a mighty corporation called the Great Rock Island Route

CHORUS

Now listen to the jingle and the rumble and the roar

As she dashes through the woodland and speeds along the shore

See the mighty rushing engine, hear her merry bell ring out

As they speed along in safety on the Great Rock Island Route

CHORUS

All great cities of importance can be found along its way

There’s Chicago and Peroria and Rock Island so they say

With Davenport and westward still is Council Bluffs far out

As a western termination of the Great Rock Island Route

CHORUS

Now let music soft and tender in its mysric power reveal

Praises to the Great Rock Island that the heart can only feel

And to swell the mighty chorus comes the glad re-echoing shout

That for safety time and comfort take the Great Rock Island Route

This is the original of Wabash Cannonball that morphed into something totally different.