I Hear the Train A-Comin’

“I hear the train a-comin’, it’s rolling ’round the bend
And I ain’t been kissed lord since I don’t know when
The boys in Crescent City don’t seem to know I’m here
That lonesome whistle seems to tell me, Sue, disappear” – Crescent City Blues (Gordon Jenkins)

“Folsom Prison Blues”, is surely one of the best-known train songs of the modern era. If not the most popular song in singer Johnny Cash’s catalog, it certainly ranks in the top five. The song’s distinctive boom-chicka-boom rhythm fairly set the tone for what would become Cash’s signature sound, with even the most casual music fan capable of identifying the song after just a couple notes of that unmistakable electric guitar intro played by Luther Perkins. And what I know as a working musician is that playing “Folsom” is a surefire way to fill the dance floor, with folks immediately deserting their chairs after those first telltale notes ring out. What I didn’t know until just a few years ago, is that this song that has become so identifiable with its author really isn’t Johnny’s song at all.

“When I was just a baby my mama told me, Sue
When you’re grown up I want that you should go and see and do
But I’m stuck in Crescent City just watching life mosey by
When I hear that whistle blowin’, I hang my head and cry” – Crescent City Blues (Jenkins)

“Crescent City Blues”, is a song written by composer/arranger Gordon Jenkins. In 1953 the song was included on an album entitled Seven Dreams, released by Decca Records, where Jenkins was the label’s musical director. As the title implies, the experimental concept album consisted of seven radioplay-style musical segments named for their protagonists, where the characters have embarked on a train trip from New York to New Orleans. The “Second Dream” was entitled “The Conductor”, and featured the voice-over work of bassist Bill Lee (Spike Lee’s father), and Thurl Ravenscroft (Tony the Tiger). On the track, as the train makes an unscheduled stop, the title character steps off the train for “a breath of middle-western air”. He then describes how as he lit a cigarette he “heard a voice from the shack across the way”.

“I see the rich folks eatin’ in that fancy dining car
They’re probably having pheasant breast and eastern caviar
Now I ain’t crying envy and I ain’t crying me
It’s just that they get to see things that I’ve never seen” – Crescent City Blues (Jenkins)

The song, with a melody inspired by the 1930s instrumental, “Crescent City Blues”, by Little Brother Montgomery, is sung by Beverly Mahr. Mahr was Jenkins’ second wife, and mother of their son, Bruce (San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist). Styled as a torch song, the lyrics are delivered in a sultry manner, bearing a strong resemblance to Johnny Mercer’s “Blues in the Night”. It begins with bluesy guitar licks accompanying the vocals, with later verses punctuated by big-band horn arrangements. Certainly, Jenkins’ composition would never be mistaken for Cash’s up-tempo rockabilly anthem, but there is absolutely no question as to the genesis of Johnny’s tune.

“If I owned that lonesome whistle, if that railroad train was mine
I bet I’d find a man a little farther down the line
Far from Crescent City is where I’d like to stay
And I’d let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away” – Crescent City Blues (Jenkins)

Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” was released on Sam Phillips’ Sun Records label in December of 1955. Johnny Cash is the only songwriter credited on the release. He claims that he heard “Crescent City Blues” on the radio during his stint in Germany, serving with the US Air Force, and adapted it for his own purposes. In a 1990s interview Cash stated, “At the time, I really had no idea I would be a professional recording artist; I wasn’t trying to rip anybody off”. According to Cash’s manager Lou Robin, Cash had acknowledged the influence of Jenkins’ song, but was reassured by Sam Phillips that he had no reason to fear a plagiarism suit.

In 1968, a live version of the song, from the album At Folsom Prison, was released and the song once again hit the charts, eventually reaching #1 on the country singles chart and #32 on the Hot 100. It was then that Gordon Jenkins decided to sue for royalties. Reportedly Cash paid Jenkins a cash settlement with some sources naming the amount of $75,000, while others mention $100K. In an interview, Cash was quoted as saying, “So when I later went to Sun to record the song, I told Sam Phillips that I rewrote an old song to make my song, and that was that. Sometime later I met up with Gordon Jenkins and we talked about what had happened, and everything was right”.

Sources have stated that Cash & Jenkins agreed to share songwriting credits for the song, but on the Walk the Line soundtrack from the 2005 biopic starring Joaquin Phoenix, Johnny Cash is the sole songwriter credited for “Folsom Prison Blues”. As of May 2006, the soundtrack was certified platinum by the RIAA with over one million copies sold. That same release went on to win the Grammy award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album.

For years Johnny Cash would open his concerts with “Folsom Prison Blues”, following his trademark introduction of, “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash”. Clearly, this is the song by which Cash wished to be identified. The song has been recorded by numerous other artists, many of which were likely unaware of its origins. In June 2014, Rolling Stone ranked “Folsom” No. 51 on its list of the 100 greatest country songs of all time, with no mention of Gordon Jenkins. Which may only serve to reinforce the words of the great composer Igor Stravinsky, who said,” Lesser artists borrow; great artists steal”.

Decide for yourself:

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent_City_Blues

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/12/15/johnny-cash-gordon-jenkins-dispute-folsom-prison-blues

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folsom_Prison_Blues

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/12/15/johnny-cash-gordon-jenkins-dispute-folsom-prison-blues

All photos sourced from internet searches, none belong to the author.