Carolina Special by Irene Kelley
Irene Kelley previous single, “Wild Mountain Stream,” soared to #2 on the Bluegrass Today chart and remains in the top ten near three months after release. It also hit #25 on the Folk Alliance International chart. The bluegrass singer- songwriter returns with “Carolina Special,” a song that captures a time and place in American history.
“Train songs are always a favorite in bluegrass and for me to record, Irene says. Terry Herd has a good track record for writing them and had this idea. The Carolina Special was an actual line that operated 1911 to 1968. It was the last passenger train to use the route of one of the oldest railroads in the USA, the Charleston and Hamburg Railroad, which began operation in December 1830 as the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company. Surely she misses the track, surely she's haunted. Terry, Ronnie, and I wrote this song one afternoon during the pandemic. I knew right away that I had to include on the next record.”
Tracklist
| 1. | Carolina Special | 2:54 |
Lyrics
Irene Kelley/Terry Herd/Ronnie Bowman
Shiny Stuff Music, BMI/Eclipse Music Group/Whenever You're Around Music BMI/Sparkinator Publishing BMI
Inner city rail taking off from Cincinnati
Engineer cries out, all aboard
13 coaches long she’s the pride of the Southern Railway And all of the memories it had in store
Chorus: It’s that Carolina Special
like a ghost, she haunts the track rolls and rattles ‘cross the trestle
a troubled soul longing to come back Carolina Special
Stories told of old it was more than a luxury liner Pullman cars, cigars, and bigger dreams
As they watched the world go by
And nothing could be finer
A trip to another time In a time machine
Repeat chorus
Credits
License
All rights reserved.
Irene Kelley’s signature mix of Bluegrass, Country and Americana appeals to music lovers across all genres. A native of Latrobe, PA, she has independently released two albums and another for MCA Records. Irene's songs have been recorded by Alan Jackson, Trisha Yearwood, Loretta Lynn, Pat Green, Brother Phelps, Rhonda Vincent, Claire Lynch, Darrell Scott, The Whites, the Osborne Brothers & others.