Ballad of the Iron Horse

From Hollywood, the CBS Radio Workshop. We've caught that you can, this old iron horse. Black and spoken cinders, a mark on his course. Down in the valley, and up on the grave. The driving on steam, health and history be made.

CBS Radio presents the CBS Radio Workshop, dedicated to man's imagination, the theater of the mine. From Hollywood, the workshop brings you William N. Robeson's production of an original folktale, the ballad of the Iron Horse.

He was a locomotive of 440, eight wheels and a diamond stack and a whistle to blow. When he was young there was no mightier thing. West of the Mississippi he was the rail king. He wasn't streamlined, didn't have much looks, but he wrote his page in the history books.

His father was hired, his father was steel, forged in a smelter from his stack to his wheel, rocked the rails in 1862, time of the strife our grandpappy's knew. The North General grand, the South General, he depended on the engines to win each victory.

Army's and equipment, the war's heavy loads, were all being carried on the new railroad. Oh, of them impanted, this old iron horse I could smoke and send him some mark in his horse Down in the valley, and up on the grave And driving on steam, help and history be made Long for the wood cloud, Mr. Yancy?

That's right, boy, it should be up ahead What better be, this year engine eats up wood like it's striped candy Well, it's hungry, my slaps We can't let the steam drop, but we're taking on a new load Yeah, I know.

You know a lot for somebody young as you. How long you been aching to be a fireman? Never did eight to be. Oh, no sir. I aim to be an engineer. Engineer? Hey, hey, hey.