Orange Blossom Special
by Ervin T. Rouse
"About 1936 or 1937
we played a little ol' fiddlin' piece we thought was a
little crazy—me and my brothers Gordie and Earl. Our
manager, Lloyd Smith, from Cosemie, Florida, named our
fiddlin' piece. We came out at the Christening of the
Orange Blossom Special at the Seaboard Railroad Station
in Miami, and it was him that named it. We got our
copyright back in 1938. Later on, I was riding around
Lake Okeechobee and wrote the lyrics before me and my
brother Gordie went to New York and recorded it for RCA
Victor in 1939. I never rode the Special, and I'm so
sorry to say I didn't because our train from Miami to
New York, I've been told by engineers, was without doubt
the most powerful train in the entire world.
—Ervin T. Rouse
Orange Blossom Special
Look a-yonder comin'
Comin' down that railroad track
It's the Orange Blossom Special
Bringing my baby back.
I'm going down to Florida
And get some sand in my shoes
I'll ride that Orange Blossom Special
And lose those New York blues.
Talk about a-travelin'
She's the fastest train on the Line
Talk about a-travelin'
She's the fastest train on the Line
It's that Orange Blossom Special
Rollin' down the Seaboard Line.
