Lonesome Whistle
By: Hank Williams
Original Performance: Hank Williams
Written by: Hank Williams

Live Versions:
  1. Lonesome Whistle (3:03)
    Available on Sounds Eclectic.
    2.  
 
Lyrics:
Lonesome Whistle [Live version (a)]:

[from Sounds Eclectic / KCRW version]

I was riding number 9, heading south from Caroline
I heard that lonesome whistle blowin'

I got in trouble, had to roam, left my gal and left my home
I heard that lonesome whistle blowin'

Just a kid acting smart, I went and broke my darlin's heart
I guess I was too young to know

They took me off the Georgia main, locked me to a ball and chain
I heard that lonesome whistle blowin'

All alone I bear the shame, I'm a number not a name
I heard that lonesome whistle blowin'

All I do is sit and cry when that evening train goes by
I heard that lonesome whistle blowin'

All be locked here in this cell 'til my body's just a shell
And my hair turns whiter than snow

I'll never see that gal of mine, Lord I'm in Georgia doin' time
I heard that lonesome whistle blowin'

I heard that lonesome whistle blowin'
 
The Song:

One of Beck's favorite musicians is and long has been Hank Williams, and it seems "Lonesome Whistle" is one of his favorite songs. His covers of this song are many, and always beautiful. In late 2000, at a number of solo shows/appearances, Beck began to perform the song on stage regularly. He continues to this day. Before singing the song on August 28 2002, Beck admitted that when he was younger, he played a lot of Hank Williams song, which were huge inspiration. But "Lonesome Whistle," in particular, stuck with him the most.

The version he did on KCRW in particular was mesmerizing. This was released legitimately on a KCRW compilation album, Sounds Eclectic.

It was also reported that Beck would be doing a studio recording of "Lonesome Whistle" for a tribute to Hank Williams cd. These plans changed when he decided spur-of-the-moment to instead do "Your Cheatin' Heart." He'd already released the radio version of "Whistle," so maybe that was for the best.

One reference to the song is in "Diamond Bollocks," where Beck uses the chorus: "hear that lonesome whistle blow / no direction to be known." This is a similar usage to the meaning of the original, a man in prison longing for the escape a train symbolises?it doesn't matter the direction, just that it goes somewhere. It's a fairly common phrase in music now, but Hank Williams is probably the most famous.
 
Live:

Played live 54 times:
October 1, 2000
October 3, 2000
October 12, 2000
October 24, 2000
October 25, 2000
November 3, 2000
November 4, 2000
November 26, 2000
June 25, 2001
July 7, 2001
...and 44 more.

Earliest known live version: October 1, 2000
Latest known live version: November 14, 2012

The earliest live performance I know of is from the last show Beck did opening for Neil Young on October 1 2000. It was an interesting, mellow tour, full of songs like "Lonesome Whistle," "These Days," "Creole Belle," and long gone songs from Mutations.

The song has been one of Beck's favorites ever since then.
 
Notes: