Paddy on the Railway (1850's) / Paddy Come Work on the Railway (1879) / Working on the Railway (1891) / Paddy Works on the Railway (1914) / Poor Paddy Works on the Railway (1927) / Paddy Works on the Erie (1934) / Fi-Li-Mi-Oo-Re-Ay (1957)

"Poor Paddy Works on the Railway" is a popular Irish folk and American folk song. Historically, it was often sung as a sea chanty. The song portrays an Irish worker working on a railroad.
There are numerous titles of the song including, "Pat Works on the Railway" / "Paddy on the Railway" / "Fi-Li-Mi-Oo-Re-Ay" / "Paddy Works on the Erie" and "Working on the Railway"

The song most likely originated around or even before the 1850's in England, when Irish navvies were working on the Liverpool and Manchester railways and emigrated to America, when the Irish navvies were recruited to participate in building American canals and railways.
So the "Irish" version of the song might be a decade or so older than the "American" version and also had a different melody (so NOT the "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" tune, which accompainied the American version, which was published in 1863).

In 1879, on page 321 of  "On Board the Rocket", Robert C. Adams published a version of the song, which suggests an English origin.

SEE: On board the "Rocket" : Adams, Robert Chamblet,

Liverpool shipowner Sir William B. Forwood, remembers hearing the song being sung in 1857 on the  Liverpool Pierhead

SEE:  Reminiscences of a Liverpool shipowner, 1850-1920


In "The American Songbag" (1927), the writer Carl Sandburg claims that "Pat Works on the Railway" has been published in sheet music since the early 1850s.

The American Songbag : Sandburg,Carl. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

In fact in the book "Folksongs of the Catskills" Peggy Seeger refers to a sheet-music copy of "Pat Works on the Railway" with a different tune. It was published in Boston about 1854-56 by Oliver Ditson. But just before that it was popularized by the Irish stage singer J.B. Geoghegan in 1854 (note: though he had Irish anchestors, Geoghegan was really born in England, with a mother from Manchester)

mudcat.org: Joseph Bryan Geoghegan, travelling singer, 1800s


For a number of (mainly American) versions, the melody of the first lines of each stanza resembles the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" published in 1863.

When Johnny comes marching home | Library of Congress

Listen here: https://cdn.loc.gov/service/mbrs/berl/13177YY/13177YY.mp3

Or here:



The Originals © by Arnold Rypens - WHEN JOHNNY COMES MARCHING HOME AGAIN

 Scott-BoA, pp. 327-329, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" (1 text, 1 tune)


In addition, the American version adds a "Fi-Li-Mi-Oo-Re-Ay" refrain.
This "Fi-Li-Mi-Oo-Re-Ay" refrain and the "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" tune, were most likely derived from John and Alan Lomax's  influential book "American Ballads and Folk Songs" (1934), where the song was titled ""Paddy Works on the Erie".

American ballads & Folk Songs - Page 0120

American ballads & Folk Songs - Page 0121

American ballads & Folk Songs - Page 0122


But the Lomaxes might have borrowed the "Fi-Li-Mi-Oo-Re-Ay" refrain from "Working on the Railway", a song contained in "Popular College Songs" compiled by Lockwood Honoré in 1891.

Popular college songs : a collection of the latest songs as sung ... - Full View | HathiTrust Digital Library | HathiTrust Digital Library

Here's an example of a recent version:

And Norm Cohen notes the similarity of these several Lomax verses to the undated broadside "Mick Upon the Railroad."

MICK UPON THE RAILROAD | Library Company of Philadelphia Digital Collections



MORE INFO about Paddy on the next links:

Poor Paddy Works on the Railway - Wikipedia

Paddy Works on the Railway

Folk Music Index - P to Pam

mudcat.org: The Advent and Development of Chanties

COLLECTED AND RECORDED VERSIONS:


In April 21, 1914 Cecil Sharp collected a version in Somerset, England, sung by John Short.

Paddy Works On The Railway Capstan Chanty (Cecil Sharp Manuscript Collection (at Clare College, Cambridge) CJS2/10/2894)



In the 1920's several versions of this chanty were audio-recorded from the singing of veteran sailors by folklorists like R.W. Gordon, J.M. Carpenter, and William Main Doerflinger.



(o) Capt. Mark Page (1928-1929)  (as "Paddy Works on the Railway")
In 1928 and 1929 James Madison Carpenter, an American folklorist, went to England, Scotland and Wales, to collect folk songs.
Capt. Mark Page, whose sea experience spanned 1849-1879, sang it for James Madison Carpenter in 1928 or 1929, at the old mariners' almshouses at Trafalgar Square in Sunderland.

WhoDoYouThinkYouAre.pdf

BBC - Wear - History - Ranzo, me boys

SEE ALSO:  Paddy Works on the Railway [cylinder recording] Mark Page

On the bottom of the page on the next link you can listen to a soundfile of Capt. Mark Page singing "Poor Paddy Works on the Railway"

Poor Paddy Works on the Railway (VWML Song Index SN25063)

Or listen here (after 2 min and 3 sec in the mp3 below

https://media.vwml.org//audio//JMC//sr264.sr264sl.mp3



(c) Edward Robinson (1928/1929)  (as "Paddy Works on the Railway")
At the same time and the same location, Carpenter recorded another sailor: Edward Robinson

SEE ALSO: Paddy Works on the Railway [disc recording] Edward Robinson

On the bottom of the page on the next link you can listen to a soundfile of Edward Robinson singing "Paddy Works on the Railway"

Paddy Works on the Railway (VWML Song Index SN25029)

Or listen here (after 8 min and 42 sec in the mp3 below

https://media.vwml.org//audio//JMC//sr258.sr258sl.mp3



(c) George Simpson (1928/1929)  (as "Paddy Works on the Railway")
George Simpson, another sailor, was also recorded by Carpenter, singing "Paddy Works on the Railway".

Paddy Works on the Railway [cylinder recording] George Simpson

Listen here: Paddy Works on the Railway (VWML Song Index SN15345)



(c) William Gaul (1928)  (as "Paddy Works on the Railway")

Paddy Works on the Railway (VWML Song Index SN25060)

The above 4 recordings are versions of the British (Irish) variant of this traditional.

The 2 versions here below are probably versions of the American variant of this traditinal


(c) Barbara Bell (1938)  (as "The Great American Railway")
In May 19, 1938 Alan Lomax recorded Barbara Bell, singing this version for the Library of Congress.
With a refrain that goes: "Patsy-ouri-ouri-aye"

The great American railway | Library of Congress



(c) Ernest Bourne (1938)  (as "A-working on the Railroad")
In May 24, 1938 Alan Lomax recorded Ernest Bourne, singing this version  for the Library of Congress.
With a refrain that goes: "Eire-eire-eire-O"

A-working on the railroad | Library of Congress


The first officially released version of the American variant might be:

(c) American Ballad Singers (1941) (as "Pat Works on the Railway")
Recorded March 15, 1940 in New York
Released on Victor 26723

Part of the album "Two Centuries of American-Folksongs" (Victor # P-41)

Victor matrix BS-047959. Deaf woman courtship ("Answer-back" song) / American Ballad Singers ; Elie Siegmeister - Discography of American Historical Recordings
 

Two Centuries of American Folk Songs : American Ballad Singers : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

The American Ballad Singers: Elie Siegmeister, director :: Traveling Culture - Circuit Chautauqua in the Twentieth Century

Listen here:1-the-deaf-womans-courtship-2-pat-works-on-the-railway_american-ballad-singers.mp3


The first officially released version of the British (Irish) variant might be:

(o) Ewan MacColl (1951)  (as "Poor Paddy Works on the Railway")

Originally released in 1951 on 78 RPM record on Topic TRC 50

Ewan MacColl: Discography at theBalladeers

78 RPM - Ewan MacColl - Cannily, Cannily / Poor Paddy Works On The Railway - Topic - UK - TRC 50

Wanted a soundfile of this version !!


In the same year Sam Eskin also recorded a version of the British variant

(c) Sam Eskin (1951) (as "Poor Paddy Works on the Railway")
Originally released in 1951 on 10# album on Folkways FP 19

Sam Eskin – Sea Shanties And Loggers' Songs (1951, Vinyl) - Discogs

Re-released in 1958 on the next album

Sea Shanties and Loggers' Songs | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Linernotes are here: FW02019.pdf

Listen here:





(c) Pete Seeger (1954)  (as "Paddy Works on the Railroad")

This is a version of the American variant.

Pete Seeger - Frontier Ballads (Vinyl, LP, 10") | Discogs

Frontier Ballads | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Linernotes are here:  FW05003.pdf

Listen here:





(c) Weavers (1957) (as "Fi-Li-Mi-Oo-Re-Ay")
Also a version of the American variant.

The Weavers - On Tour (Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono) | Discogs

Listen here:





(c) Ewan MacColl (1957) (as "Poor Paddy Works on the Railway")
Version of the British (Irish) variant.

Ewan MacColl - Shuttle And Cage (Vinyl, 10", Album) | Discogs

Listen here:





(c) Cisco Houston (1958)  (as "Pat Works on the Railway")
Version of the American variant

Cisco Houston - Cisco Sings (Vinyl, LP, Album) | Discogs

Listen here:

(c) Barbara Moncure (1963)  (as "The Bluestone Quarries")
Version of the American variant

Folk Songs of the Catskills (New York) | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Listen here:





(c) The Spinners (1964) (as "Fi-Li-Mi-Oo-Re-Ay")

Version of the American variant.

45cat - The Spinners [UK] - Dirty Old Town / Fi-Li-Mi-Oo-Re-Ay - Fontana - UK - TF 494

Listen here:





(c) The Dubliners (1967) (as "Paddy on the Railway")
Version of the British (Irish) variant.

The Dubliners - A Drop Of The Hard Stuff (Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono) | Discogs

Listen here:





(c) Wolfe Tones (1976) (as "Paddy on the Railway") 

Version of the American variant.

The Wolfe Tones – Across The Broad Atlantic (1976, Vinyl) - Discogs

Listen here:

(c) Pogues (1984) (as "Poor Paddy")
Version of the British (Irish) variant.

The Pogues - Red Roses For Me (Vinyl, LP, Album) | Discogs

Listen here: