Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James Conner.
I wrote these lyrics for the tune Wabash Cannonball, an old folk and country standard made famous by Roy Acuff. It can be sung to guitars and banjos, or even banjos alone, but I prefer adding a bass, drums, fiddle, and trumpets, and delivering a soaring gospel style performance.
This morning certain people in Whitefish — I’m withholding names to protect the guilty — tried singing it to the music of Yankee Doodle Dandy, a sappy Broadway tune by George M Cohan that’s safe for singing in high school plays. Substituting it for the music of the Wabash Cannonball, and being given credit for it, was a surprise I wouldn’t wish on anyone. If Boxcar Willie had heard the result, he would laid on the tracks and wept.
Lyrics by James Conner
Tune: Wabash Cannonball
From the rough and tumble Bakken,
To the dam by Noxon town,
She wows and woos the locals,
And never sees a frown.
She calls for truth and justice,
And three square meals for all,
She’s bound for D.C. glory,
On the Curtis Cannonball.
CHORUS
So listen to the voters,
As they clap and shout and roar,
“We’re voting for Amanda!
“Yes, us — and thousands more!”
We’re shutting down ol’ Stevo,
To Amanda we are true,
She’s bound for D.C. glory,
She’ll keep the Big Sky blue!
She came down from Silver Bow,
One cold mid-winter night,
Her eyes did flash and sparkle,
Her jaw set for a fight,
In the legislative session,
You knew she was from Butte,
A damn tough labor cookie,
Who stayed the liberal route.
CHORUS
She’s running as a Democrat,
In a state some fear is red,
Against that rich guy, Stevo,
Who wants the New Deal dead,
She has to climb a high hill,
Her road is tough and long,
But in the end she’ll get there,
So sing Amanda’s song.
CHORUS