The Train That Carried My Girl From Town - Traditional

Where were you when the train left town? It's time to break the seal on train songs. Seems like a no-brainer to start with The Train That Carried My Girl From Town, a song associated with Doc Watson. BMFSDB.com has Billy Strings playing this song 113 times, as of this writing. It seems to have peaked as far as inclusion  in 2018, when it was played 21 times. Here's a killer version from that year with John Mailander on fiddle.

The Song

I thought The Train That Carried My Girl From Town was a Doc Watson original, but SecondhandSongs.com, lists the first recording being by Frank Hutchinson, from 1926. Frank Hutchison appears to have been an early white devotee of country blues.

There's a good article here about the origin of this song. Looks like Long Steel Rail would be worth a read as well.

I can't discuss this song without some Doc footage. That man could pick right up to the end. Good on Billy keeping Doc's music in the public eye! 

Y'all Come - Arlie Duff

 Y'all Come is a fun song that is a frequent show closer for Billy Strings. It was written and performed originally by Arlie Duff, but within about a year was covered by Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys and became his go to show closer. Nice to see Billy putting it in a slot that has some history. BMFSDB lists Y'all Come being played 26 times as of this writing, with 19 of those being show closers. Here's a nice Less Than Face video from 2022.

The Song

Arlie Duff, known as "The Singing Schoolteacher" released You All Come in 1953. It was the big hit of his career, getting him onto shows like the Louisiana Hayride and The Grand Old Opry. Arlie is getting down in this video!

SecondhandSongs.com lists 27 recorded versions of Y'all Come. I'm sure there are many more. Here's Big Mon tearing it up with Kenny Baker on fiddle. Check out the buttery smooth transition from John Henry to Y'all Come!

One more fun one before I wrap it up: Dolly Parton belting it out. Notice she calls it a Porter Wagoner song.