Westward Expansion: Supplemental Guide 8B | Working on the Transcontinental Railroad 183
I’ve Been Working on the Railroad
I’ve been workin’ on the railroad,
All the live-long day.
I’ve been workin’ on the railroad,
Just to pass the time away.
Can’t you hear the whistle blowin’?
Rise up so early in the morn.
Can’t you hear the captain shoutin’:
“Dinah, blow your horn”!
Dinah, won’t you blow,
Dinah, won’t you blow,
Dinah, won’t you blow your horn?
Dinah, won’t you blow,
Dinah, won’t you blow,
Dinah, won’t you blow your horn?
Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah,
Someone’s in the kitchen, I know.
Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah,
Strummin’ on the old banjo and singin’
Fee, fi e, fi ddle-ee-i-o.
Fee, fi e, fi ddle-ee-i-o.
Fee, fi e, fi ddle-ee-i-o.
Strummin’ on the old banjo.
After listening to the song, ask students what is happening in
the song. Ask students what they notice about how the story is
told in the song compared to how it is told in the read-aloud. You
may wish to prompt discussion by asking some of the following
questions:- Does this sound different than the read-aloud you heard?
- Do you think Ling Wei and the character in the song had similar
or different feelings about working on the railroad?