@@p.g.curtwright7763 There are a few of these guys still living one right down the road from the family home. Talk th o him from time to time. Hit me up if you want to know more
I was a Gandy in S/W Mt. This was in the early to mid 1970s For the Local Tram on "The Anaconda Copper Co. Smelter, The Milwalkee R/R, and the B.A. & P. "in the Berkley Pit in Butte. Yup.! G-G 🤔😑🛠🚂🚆Winter&Summer.
The man that’s calling the lining of the track is a super star! He have some serious rhythm 🎶 in his blood!! Who wouldn’t want to work with him!! He takes the work out of work!💪🏽
We need to be collecting these calls for a book. They're a part of American literature. These guys worked hard to keep American railroads up running and safe for little money and likely a lot of pain.
I'm white, but my great grand pa Hodge was a Gandy Dancer, he was 100 percent Apache from New Mexico. Ran away from a boarding school at 17 and went to work on the rail road. My dad would go on to work for the rail road and started on rail gang and worked his way up to Conductor/Engineer. I appreciate these men.
I just learned about gandy dancers today and I had to look up more information... I love the music! Amazing how hard people worked at these jobs and still had the strength and spirit to sing while doing their work. In our society, in this generation, we're pretty wimpy compared to these mighty men.
The Railroad was arguably the first proper intercultural society within America. You had Irishman, blacks, hispanics, Chinese, and a hundred other peoples all working together to build something amazing. My family is filled with railroad men and I'm proud of it.
@@binwoods23 Brandon calling facts racist shows he doesn't know what either are. Can't even acknowledge blacks built RR too as well as produced the bulk of the wealth that financed the RRs. So BP were working RRs before during and after the peak of Irish&Chinese involvement some 170yrs ago. That's why the songs of that era like John Henry are songs about black railroad workers. H-wood movies made 100yrs later, like most American propaganda, erase black people. Still most people can tell fact from fiction, and most, unlike Brandon, accept it.
Noooo they were mostly black most of them were freed slaves still kinda in slaver there was mfs over seeing them but you are right the white folks that was on rail road with them were mostly Irish from my knowledge and what I’ve noticed y’all are treated like the black sheep of the white folks/white sheep
@@braylonlewis5689because they chose to let themselves be talked into denigrating Black people as a right of passage so that they could assimilate. The Draft Riots are a prime example of this. Being drafted and having displeasure at that is one thing..but the fact that they decided the best avenue to express that was to actively terrorize Black people is unforgivable. And my sympathy towards them is very reserved in that regard. Old journals and accounts give one story of a young irish child and his pals tying up and dragging a nude Black man through their part of town, to thunderous applause and cheers. Yet, they'll tell you today that it was a long time ago and wrong things were done...but they make ZERO effort to show the appropriate outrage when rogue governors and corrupt state legislators decide to, effectively, misconstrue, misrepresent, outlaw or effectively downplay this same history. You only hear Black people as the loudest voices proclaiming that ALL HISTORY needs to be preserved and taught. You think, in another 100 years, that they'll let the insanity that occurs in a majority of the Black populated cities be reduced to a "blemish of bad faith by men of the times" or will it be spoken of as some great internal war that was happening here? Thank God I know the stories and history, given to me by my grandparents (who strongly remembered those days) and even my parents (both who were born 18 years before the Civil Rights Act of 68 was passed). I'm teaching my own and my neices & nephews the true depiction of what this country was and has done, so that nobody can simply LIE to them or try to spin narratives that simply aren't true. This country's flag should have a solid Black star somewhere adorned on it but it's DNA is just as heavily etched in the souls of Black folks as any other group that makes those claims. Put a yellow, tan or brown one on therr if you must too. But a Black star should have been added long ago.
![GEEK TIMË [OFFICIAL AUDIO]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ry-6RvkH880/mqdefault.jpg)
This is my grandfather and my dad was there with him.
If this is truly tell them thank you and much love that somone still appreciates their hard work with love and admiration!
Fabulous, real art!
@@jacobaguilar6756 there dead
Oh my goodness, I'm so impressed... I'm teaching gandy dancers as part of black music unit I do every year.
@@p.g.curtwright7763 There are a few of these guys still living one right down the road from the family home. Talk th o him from time to time. Hit me up if you want to know more
"I might not live long but I'm intend to live long as I can and die when I can't help it."
You picked out the key sound bite to this piece. Rings so true today.
@@conkyjoe =////======> Yup.! G-G 👍
that line goes so hard
The unity is by far impeccable here. Music born in one’s bones. Absolutely superb!
I've memorized each one
.. listen to this twice every hour. Love the history of we.
Thats my great great grandad singing
You should be incredibly proud of the musical tradition that he blessed you with!
I was a Gandy in S/W Mt. This was in the early to mid 1970s For the Local Tram on "The Anaconda Copper Co. Smelter, The Milwalkee R/R, and the B.A. & P. "in the Berkley Pit in Butte. Yup.! G-G 🤔😑🛠🚂🚆Winter&Summer.
The man that’s calling the lining of the track is a super star! He have some serious rhythm 🎶 in his blood!! Who wouldn’t want to work with him!! He takes the work out of work!💪🏽
"Takes the work outta work!". Yes Sir!!💯
We need to be collecting these calls for a book. They're a part of American literature. These guys worked hard to keep American railroads up running and safe for little money and likely a lot of pain.
and Canadians
Sure do.....a dying breed of hard working men....men of steel
I produced this piece for NBC News. Contact me. I want to hear some stories.
@@conkyjoe Do you know if any are still alive?
Great video of some handy lads 👍🇬🇧
Have much love and appreciation for these great men!!!! Truly true men!!
Met a guy yesterday and he said in NC there is a crew that still works that way.
Kinda cool
Where in NC?? Please do tell.
Truly men with a work ethic.
There’s something these guy have that the new computerized tampering and lining machines don’t.
A contiuation of the age-old tradition of work songs.
I'm white, but my great grand pa Hodge was a Gandy Dancer, he was 100 percent Apache from New Mexico. Ran away from a boarding school at 17 and went to work on the rail road. My dad would go on to work for the rail road and started on rail gang and worked his way up to Conductor/Engineer. I appreciate these men.
No he wasnt
What makes you white? I'm white and I say so ?
I'm so proud to be black American. Those brothers had skills, rhythm and hard work.
Love and respect I learn something today God bless them
Kendrick you should be very proud!
Such a COOL piece of Americana!!!
I just learned about gandy dancers today and I had to look up more information... I love the music!
Amazing how hard people worked at these jobs and still had the strength and spirit to sing while doing their work.
In our society, in this generation, we're pretty wimpy compared to these mighty men.
Amazing how the people who work the hardest have always done it for the least amount of money.
So much awesomeness.
The Railroad was arguably the first proper intercultural society within America. You had Irishman, blacks, hispanics, Chinese, and a hundred other peoples all working together to build something amazing. My family is filled with railroad men and I'm proud of it.
omggg thanks for this!!
I'mma sing this song when I work
Fantastic!
NOW THATS A REAL ( Gandy Dancer ) NOT A W/S PRETENDING THEY PUT IN THAT WORK FOR THE CAMERAS !!!
How on earth did I get here?!
U took a Left at the fork of the road
Salute to the Elders ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽💎
That’s so awesome I’m a railroader I would have love to help them
Another group of unsung hero's.
Great video
Believe I knew you dad/granddad back then. Watched them (and tapped a few rails for fun) with him on the Hartford &Slocomb rr and the Bay line.
Complete and total bad ass
At 1.25, what is the name of that song?
That is so Cool
Worked on the rail some. Wish we we someone like this singing.
I used to shovel asphalt and build urban developments everything comes by train
Great men
what are the lyrics?
Black dudes are bad ass
"Atlanta was the mecca building Railroads and Trains let me break down bear with me for a second lemme put yall on game"
Gotta luv that old-school / old-negro soul.
Need that hat!!
Where are the Chinese?
Exactly🤣🤣🤣
What the hell did I just watch?????
Where?
💔
WE BUILT this country!! FBA!!
This is so sad to watch but good to see as a young black man. Shows how far we really came.
God forbid they just move the rail without all the extra horse shit
The beginning of rap music.
This is perhaps an American version of an Irish "meitheal" or collective of team workers usually associated with sowing or reaping crops.
Can assure you africans have been doing this wayyyy longer
Black men do all the hard work. White men stand around and give orders.
Oh fuck off with that racist shit, everyone has done hard work. The railroads were built by the irish and chinese FYI.
If you had noticed the wrinkles on the white guys face, he did his share of back breaking work.
@@sirosis7858 you mad about facts?
@@binwoods23 Brandon calling facts racist shows he doesn't know what either are. Can't even acknowledge blacks built RR too as well as produced the bulk of the wealth that financed the RRs. So BP were working RRs before during and after the peak of Irish&Chinese involvement some 170yrs ago. That's why the songs of that era like John Henry are songs about black railroad workers. H-wood movies made 100yrs later, like most American propaganda, erase black people. Still most people can tell fact from fiction, and most, unlike Brandon, accept it.
You got it!
Rapping
Originally, gandy dancers were Irish. I would have liked to see that as my family has some Irish roots.
Noooo they were mostly black most of them were freed slaves still kinda in slaver there was mfs over seeing them but you are right the white folks that was on rail road with them were mostly Irish from my knowledge and what I’ve noticed y’all are treated like the black sheep of the white folks/white sheep
@@braylonlewis5689because they chose to let themselves be talked into denigrating Black people as a right of passage so that they could assimilate. The Draft Riots are a prime example of this. Being drafted and having displeasure at that is one thing..but the fact that they decided the best avenue to express that was to actively terrorize Black people is unforgivable. And my sympathy towards them is very reserved in that regard. Old journals and accounts give one story of a young irish child and his pals tying up and dragging a nude Black man through their part of town, to thunderous applause and cheers.
Yet, they'll tell you today that it was a long time ago and wrong things were done...but they make ZERO effort to show the appropriate outrage when rogue governors and corrupt state legislators decide to, effectively, misconstrue, misrepresent, outlaw or effectively downplay this same history. You only hear Black people as the loudest voices proclaiming that ALL HISTORY needs to be preserved and taught. You think, in another 100 years, that they'll let the insanity that occurs in a majority of the Black populated cities be reduced to a "blemish of bad faith by men of the times" or will it be spoken of as some great internal war that was happening here? Thank God I know the stories and history, given to me by my grandparents (who strongly remembered those days) and even my parents (both who were born 18 years before the Civil Rights Act of 68 was passed). I'm teaching my own and my neices & nephews the true depiction of what this country was and has done, so that nobody can simply LIE to them or try to spin narratives that simply aren't true. This country's flag should have a solid Black star somewhere adorned on it but it's DNA is just as heavily etched in the souls of Black folks as any other group that makes those claims. Put a yellow, tan or brown one on therr if you must too. But a Black star should have been added long ago.