There is a grand tradition of folk singers and musicians repurposing a melody to create a new song, and This Train is Bound for Glory is just one example. This Train shares a melody with The Crawdad Song, a song I shared last July because it has an easy-breezy quality to it that makes it especially fun to strum in summertime. This Train, however, has much more of a raucous, rock-and-roll energy, especially when played fast. Even though we’re using the same combination of chords and the same melody, we have two very different-feeling songs.
For this play-along, I’m playing in the Key of A using the A, D, and E7 chords and a strum pattern that incorporates some mutes. I’ve chosen four of my favorite verses, but there are so many to great options to choose from. Search your favorite music streaming app to listen to different recordings of the song and pick and choose the verses you like best— or, better yet, compose your own!
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