“Please, Mister Conductor (The Lightning Express)”

Description

The conductor demands a boy's ticket. He has none. He went to work in the city to pay for his mother's care, but now she is dying. He has no fare, but is going to be with her; he begs the conductor to let him stay. The passengers chip in to pay his fare.

Notes

The sheet music of this is obscure enough (or illegible enough) that the first author is various listed as "H. Fred Delf" and J. Fred Helf. I've tentatively listed the latter in the "author" field, since it's the form Norm Cohen uses, and he's more authoritative than any of the other sources.

The memory of Delf/Helf and Moran is quite obscure; their copyright was not renewed, and we find the song being re-copyrighted in 1925 by Triangle Music Publishing, with no reference to the original authors; they credited to the universal pseudonym E. V. Body. - RBW

Cross references

• cf. "Going for a Pardon" (plot)

Recordings

• Fiddlin' John Carson, "The Lightning Express" (OKeh 7008, 1924)
• Johnny & Albert Crockett, "Lightnin' Express" (Crown 3074, 1930)
• Pete Daley's Arkansas Fiddlers, "Lightning Express" (Varsity 5078, n.d.)
• Vernon Dalhart, "Lightning Express" (Banner 1594, 1925) (Challenge 165/Challenge 320, 1927) (Champion 15017, 1925) (Victor 19837, 1925)
• Byron G. Harlan "Please, Mr. Conductor, Don't Put Me Off The Train" (CYL: Edison 7219, 1903)
• Jim Holbert, "The Lightning Express" (AFS 4130 B2, 1940; on LC61)
• Frank Hutchison, "Lightning Express" (OKeh 45144, 1927)
• Bradley Kincaid, "The Lightning Express" (Melotone 12184, 1931; Vocalion 02683, 1934)
• Asa Martin, "East Bound Train" (Champion 15585/Supertone 9178, 1928) (Conqueror 7837, 1931; Broadway 4086 [as Martin & Roberts], n.d.)
• Lester McFarland & Robert Gardner, "The East Bound Train" (Vocalion 5174/Vocalion 5200/Brunswick 169/Brunswick 326, 1928; Supertone S-2032, 1930; rec. 1927); "The Lightning Express" (Brunswick 200, 1928; Brunswick 326, 1929; rec. 1927)
• Nelstone's Hawaiians, "North Bound Train" (Victor V-40065, 1929)
• Riley Puckett, "East Bound Train" (Columbia 15747-D, 1932)
• George Reneau, "The Lightning Express" (Vocalion 5056/Vocalion 14991, 1925; Silvertone 3045 [as George Hobson], 1924)
• Mervin Shiner, "The Lightning Express" (Decca 46272, 1950)
• Ernest V. Stoneman "The Lightning Express" (OKeh 40408, 1925) (Edison 52299, 1928)
• Arthur Tanner, "The Lightning Express Train" (Puritan 9160, n.d. but prob. c. 1926)
• Ernest Thompson, "The Lightning Express" (Columbia 145-D, 1924)
• Wesley Tuttle, "The Lightning Express" (Coral 64068, 1950)
• Dock Walsh, "The East Bound Train" (Columbia 15047-D, 1925)

References

1. Cohen-LSRail, pp. 321-325, "Please, Mr. Conductor/The Lightning Express" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Randolph 720, "Please, Mister Conductor" (2 texts, 1 tune)
3. Randolph/Cohen, pp. 468-470, "Please, Mister Conductor" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 720A)
4. Roud #7389
5. BI, R720