elijahwheeler - Posted - 10/20/2024:  04:32:49

My greetings to all bluegrass lovers!
As a student of philology I'm conducting a research dedicated to the genre of bluegrass and some of its linguistic features. After listening to this music for several years I've subdivided the songs I heard into several categories, mainly according to the topics described in the lyrics - one of those contains the songs about trains. One of the things that immediately captured my attention is the usage of the pronoun "she" in relation to trains, while the word "train" itself is considered masculine (in the majority of european languages). After checking the lyrics of several songs describing trains I noticed it's rather a tendency than a simple coincidence as I thought at first:

There SHE goes, look at HER steam,
Hear HER blow, whistle and scream,
Like a hound wagging its tail
Statesville bound, bound, bound, it's the Fireball Mail (from "Fireball Mail")

Just to ride the rail and hear HER wail fills my harsh desire
While SHE's puffing smoke and getting stove belly full of fire (from "The Train Song" by Spinney Brothers)

Number 47 - SHE's a good one,
Number 63 sings like a bird,
But number 29 - that's the one they call The Rocket
And that's the saddest train I've ever heard (from "The Rocket" by Blue Moon Rising)

... But I remember that ol' train rolling down the main
I'd watch HER from the front door of our shack (from "I Like Trains" by The Grascals)

They gave him his orders at Monroe Virginia
Saying Steve you're way behind time
This is not 38 this is old 97
You must put HER into Spencer on time (from "Wreck Of The Old 97")

I have heard your stories about your fast trains
But now I'll tell you bout one all the southern folks have seen
SHE's the beauty of the southland listen to that whistle scream
It's that Pan American on HER way to New Orleans
SHE leaves Cincinnati headin' down that Dixon Line
When SHE passes that Nashville Tower you can hear that whistle whine
Stick your hand right out the window and feel that southern breeze
You're on that Pan American on HER way to New Orleans (from "Pan American")

These are just some of the examples I managed to find, but even that is enough. The question I'm looking forward to be solved - why use "she" when talking about trains?
Thanks in advance

P.S. My apologies for the mistakes I may have made in the lyrics :)

Ira Gitlin - Posted - 10/20/2024:  07:02:36

I wonder whether the habit of calling trains "she" may have been adopted from the habit of calling ships "she". (IIRC, the word for "ship" is feminine in most Indo-European languages.)

elijahwheeler - Posted - 10/20/2024:  07:40:22

quote:

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Originally posted by Ira Gitlin

I wonder whether the habit of calling trains "she" may have been adopted from the habit of calling ships "she". (IIRC, the word for "ship" is feminine in most Indo-European languages.)

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That makes sense. Thank you for the remark!

phb - Posted - 10/21/2024:  09:09:38

Ships and boats are neutral words in German. Spanish "barco" is masculine, French "le bateau", also masculine.

I always assumed that sailors were males and somehow wanted their ships to be female. Also, the figureheads of many ships actually showed women. Scantly clad women.

As to the original subject, I don't think the trains are being referred to using the pronoun "she" but the engines. And isn't a steam-powered engine a thing of beauty? Clearly a female attribute! :)

elijahwheeler - Posted - 10/21/2024:  12:07:42

quote:

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Originally posted by phb

Ships and boats are neutral words in German. Spanish "barco" is masculine, French "le bateau", also masculine.



I always assumed that sailors were males and somehow wanted their ships to be female. Also, the figureheads of many ships actually showed women. Scantly clad women.



As to the original subject, I don't think the trains are being referred to using the pronoun "she" but the engines. And isn't a steam-powered engine a thing of beauty? Clearly a female attribute! :)

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I didn't even think about that :) Much appreciated!

And talking about the sailors - can we say that the same approach is applied to the train engineers? I suppose they were mostly men and also wanted to bring something feminine in their work - just like figureheads you mentioned.

Thanks again!

Owen - Posted - 10/21/2024:  12:30:51

... Ships? ...trains?  Not necessarily words in a song, but what about, "You don't want to miss that party; she's gonna be a good one!!"

Edited by - Owen on 10/21/2024 12:35:17

chuckv97 - Posted - 10/21/2024:  14:22:47

I heard a guy talking about his semi truck once, he said “that old girl just keeps on going”

and, from Wabash Cannonball...

Edited by - chuckv97 on 10/21/2024 14:27:15

chuckv97 - Posted - 10/21/2024:  14:43:11

And ‘nuther one …. (btw, that should be "my diesel" , not "me diesel " as in UK or Australia)

Edited by - chuckv97 on 10/21/2024 14:44:56

mike gregory - Posted - 10/21/2024:  15:19:36

quote:

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Originally posted by chuckv97

And ‘nuther one …. (btw, that should be "my diesel" , not "me diesel " as in UK or Australia)

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Dave Dudley sings it as "muh diesel"

youtube.com/watch?v=otkytn8L-Cw

AND! He was born right here in Wisconsin.

With a name like Pedruska,  the general public (in a heavily German, Polish, Slavic state like WISCONSIN) might have expected or DEMANDED that he play accordion in a Oompa band!

Dudley works better, ain'a hey?

Dave Dudley (born David Darwin Pedruska; [1] May 3, 1928 – December 22, 2003) [2] was an American country music singer best known for his truck-driving country anthems of the 1960s and 1970s and his semi-slurred bass.

chuckv97 - Posted - 10/21/2024:  17:12:45

quote:

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Originally posted by mike gregory

quote:

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Originally posted by chuckv97

And ‘nuther one …. (btw, that should be "my diesel" , not "me diesel " as in UK or Australia)

---

Dave Dudley sings it as "muh diesel"

youtube.com/watch?v=otkytn8L-Cw

AND! He was born right here in Wisconsin.

With a name like Pedruska,  the general public (in a heavily German, Polish, Slavic state like WISCONSIN) might have expected or DEMANDED that he play accordion in a Oompa band!

Dudley works better, ain'a hey?

Dave Dudley (born David Darwin Pedruska; [1] May 3, 1928 – December 22, 2003) [2] was an American country music singer best known for his truck-driving country anthems of the 1960s and 1970s and his semi-slurred bass.

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Yes,, and then there's Les Paul 

"Paul was born Lester William Polsfuss^[11] in Waukesha, Wisconsin, to George^[10]and Evelyn (Stutz) Polsfuss, both of German ancestry.^[12] His only sibling, Ralph, was seven years older. Paul's mother was related to the founders of Milwaukee's Valentin Blatz Brewing Company and the makers of the Stutz automobile.^[13] His parents divorced when he was a child.^[14] His mother simplified their Prussian family name first to Polfuss, then to Polfus, although Les Paul never legally changed his name. Before taking the stage name Les Paul, he performed as Red Hot Red^[15] and Rhubarb Red."

Edited by - chuckv97 on 10/21/2024 17:14:11