Story Behind The Song
My grandfather worked on the Cog from the 1920s to the early 1940s. My mother was born in 1938. He told us his experiences and we have the photos share. There were some wealthy travelers on top of the mountain who wished to leave. Anyone knows that the Auto Road can be dangerously when the fog rolls in or the clouds are hanging around. There are no side rails or lights either. Back in the day, they offered my grandfather two dollars to walk in front of their vehicle with a lantern to guide them down the 8 miles.
Another part of the story is finding a man froze to death. My grandfather had to bring him down the mountain.
Song Description
Stories told by my grandfather who worked on The Cog.
| Song Length |
3:07 |
Genre |
Country - Bluegrass, Country - Bluegrass |
| Tempo |
Medium (111 - 130) |
Lead Vocal |
Female Vocal |
| Mood |
Cheerful, Poignant |
Subject |
History, Past, Disasters |
| Similar Artists |
Lucinda Williams |
Language |
English |
| Era |
1930 - 1939 |
| |
Lyrics
The Cog Railway Harriet Riendeau 2012 Bluegrass
They paid him two dollars in nineteen forty three
To walk 8 miles with a light
In hope that they would see
The road that lay below the fog
With edges wild and free
Two dollars in nineteen forty three
Floyd and Florence had two boys
Another on the way
The hurricane of thirty eight
Would cause a great delay
He sent them down the mountain
To Mount Washington Hotel
Did they make it through the storm?
Nobody could tell.
Also from the hurricane
Everything was torn
The track was twisted off it's course
The burden on men was born
To reconstruct the mountain rail
They got so little sleep
Thinking of his pregnant wife
His memories to keep
He told us of a man he found
Frozen on the mountain
A somber ride for them the night
The Cog became a coffin
They paid him two dollars in nineteen forty three
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