Down by the Station is also known as Down at the Station. It was written in 1947 by Paul Mills and Slim Gaillard. Tommy Dorsey Jr., an American Jazz composer, recorded the song in 1948. There have been changes to the lyrics over the years, but the peppiness continues to be the same.
The nursery rhyme is the story of a little kid who goes to the railway station and observes the trains, stationmasters, engine drivers, etc. The rhyme uses onomatopoeia to create playful sounds for kids to repeat at the end of the stanza.
Read on to know more about the rhyme and its origins.
Written Lyrics
Shorter Version:
Down by the station
Early in the morning
See the little pufferbellies
All in a row
See the station master
Turn the little handle
Puff, puff, toot, toot
Off we go!
Longer Version:
Down by the station early in the morning,
See the little puffer bellies all in a row
See the station master turn the little handle,
Chug, chug, toot, toot, off we go.
Down by the station early in the morning,
Grab a cup of coffee while a-waitin' for the train.
Change another quarter, gotta pay the porter,
Chug, chug, toot, toot, looks like rain.
Down by the station, shinin' up the brass plate,
All the gandy dancers on the main line.
See the diamond cracker warmin' up the big jack,
Chug, chug, toot, toot, off we go.
Down by the station early in the morning,
See the little puffer bellies all in a row
See the station master turn the little handle,
Chug, chug, toot, toot, off we go.
Now, it's time to get a movin', to get aboard the train.
Maybe we'll hit the coast and then we may go to Maine.
What's the difference if you're seventy-two,
Latch on, get your jollies on the choo-ooh choo.
Down by the station!
Yes, Down by the station!
Hey, down by the station!
Whoo-whooh!
Printable Lyrics
Download the printable PDF file with shorter and longer versions of the nursery rhyme.
Photo Lyrics
Click on the image to save a copy on your device.
Video Links
Check out this adorable animated video:
Here’s one more (with different lyrics):
Origins and History
The first written origins of Down by the Station can be traced back to 1931. The yearly edition of the Recreation magazine, edited by the National Recreation Association, had the lyrics printed in it. However, the song wasn’t recorded until 1948. It has the melody of a French song, Alouette.
Lee Ricks and Slim Gaillard added a new verse at the beginning and called it a silly little song for children to enjoy. They went on to copyright the song as their own. However, many people remember the original lyrics (the chorus) and knew it much before their version appeared. This shows that the original lyrics are likely to be the ones published in 1931.
Tommy Dorsey made a few more additions to the lyrics and turned it into a sort of parody song. Since his version had peppy beats and rhythm, it was considered a dance-friendly song. This made it a huge hit among the kids and adults.
Johnny Cash came out with another version of the song in 1974. He changed the melody and a few lyrics to make it more compelling. However, this version doesn’t seem to be available on the internet.
Subsequently, more variations appeared with different lyrics. In fact, we have provided links to two videos on YouTube, and both have different lyrics. The common point is the first line, ‘Down by the station early in the morning’. The station master has been replaced by a driver in some versions. ‘Puff, puff, toot, toot’ is replaced by ‘chug chug puff puff’ in some.
FAQs
Well, yes. The Four Peps took the melody and the first line to write an all-new song. It was about a man seeing a girl at the railway station. This was recorded in 1959.
Pufferbellies a steam locomotive (a train that runs on a steam engine). It is an old British word.
Leave a Reply