 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(August 2016) |
| "Down by the Station" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Written | 1948 |
| Songwriter(s) | Paul Mills, Slim Gaillard |
"Down by the Station", also known as "Down at the Station", is a popular song written by Paul Mills and Slim Gaillard and first recorded by The Slim Gaillard Trio in 1947. [1] The song was most famously recorded by Tommy Dorsey in 1948.
"Station" remains popular today as a children's music standard, a simple song about a railroad station master seeing the steam locomotives off to work. The lyrics are:
Down by the station early in the morning,
See the little pufferbellies all in a row.
See the engine driver pull the little handle,
Puff, puff, Toot! Toot! Off we go.
The song itself predates 1948; it was reportedly seen in a 1931 issue of Recreation. [2]
Whether deliberately copied or not, the melody of "Down by the Station" is closely related to the chorus of the French-Canadian folk song "Alouette". [3] [ better source needed ] Some have pointed out that though the first line is similar to "Alouette", it is closer to the tune of "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider," with the first two lines being similar.[ original research? ] The third line of "Down By the Station" is higher in pitch than the second, and the fourth line returns to the pitch of the first line (except for a higher pitched or onomatopoetic "Toot! Toot!").[ original research? ]
