FREEDOM TRAIN, THE
(Irving Berlin)

Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters - 1947
Buddy Clark - 1947
Ray Dorey - 1947
Paul Weston & His Orch. with a Capitol Records Vocal Group
(Johnny Mercer, Peggy Lee, Margaret Whiting, Benny Goodman
& The Pied Pipers) - 1947
Maria Muldaur - 2002


This song is a train song;
It's a song about a train.
Not the Atchison and Topeka, 
Not the Chattanooga Choo-Choo,
Nor the one that leaves at midnight 
For the state of Alabam'.
This song is a train song 
Where the engineer is Uncle Sam.

Here comes the Freedom Train!
You better hurry down -
Just like a Paul Revere,
It's comin' into your hometown.

Inside the Freedom Train
You'll find a precious freight -
Those words of liberty,
The documents that made us great.

You can shout your anger from a steeple,
You can shoot the system full of holes,
You can always question "We the People",
You can get your answer at the polls.

That's how it's always been
And how it will remain,
So long as all of us
Keep riding on the Freedom Train.

You can write the President a letter,
You can even tell him to his face.
If you think that you can do it better,
Get the votes and you can take his place.

You can hate the laws that you're obeying -
You can shout your anger to the crowd.
We may disagree with what you're saying,
But we'll fight to let you say it loud.

Here comes the Freedom Train!
You better hurry down -
Just like a Paul Revere,
It's comin' into your hometown.



(Contributed by Lou Rugani - The Music of the Stars (WLIP) - September 2013)