Casey Jones was a real person. He was an engineer. Casey Jones’ story was first put into song in 1902 as “The Ballad of Casey Jones.” This is the story of Casey Jones, The Grateful Dead, and the story behind the song.
According to History.com, Casey Jones was a train engineer who gave his life to save the train’s passengers. According to legend, Casey had one hand on the whistle and the other on the brake when he died.
Casy Jones was born John Luther Jones in Mississippi in 1863. When he was a boy, his family moved to Cayce, Kentucky, the town that gave him his nickname. He worked for the railroads most of his life and ended up in Jackson, Tennessee. On the night of Casey’s death, another engineer was sick and Casey offered to take his place. The train was also running late so Casey picked up the pace to make up the time. As the train rounded a curve in Vaughn, Mississippi, it collided with another train, but not before Casey told his fireman to jump to safety. Casey stayed on the train to try and slow it down to save the passengers. It worked. Casey gave his life to save the passengers. He was the only fatality in the accident.
The songs of Casey Jones started with railroad workers. His story even became a vaudeville act. In 1950, his home in Jackson became a museum. Casey Jones’s story was even made into a children’s toy.
Was Casey Jones High on Cocaine?
Not likely. Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter wrote the line “Drivin’ that train, high on cocaine, Casey Jones you’d better watch your speed,” and put it in his pocket. Initially, he didn’t even consider it a possibility for the song. Hunter actually tried to find a way around using the word “cocaine” since it was controversial for lyrics in that time period. Hunter tried “whipping that chain,” and “lugging propane” but he couldn’t find anything that really worked so Casey Jones ended up “high on cocaine” as originally written. Furthermore, from historical accounts, Casey Jones was a devoted family man who didn’t drink or do drugs.
Did Jerry Garcia Get Tired of Hearing “Casey Jones?”
In the book, Garcia: A Signpost to New Space, Jerry Garcia was asked if he got sick of hearing “Casey Jones.” Garcia replied, “Sometimes, but that’s what it’s supposed to do. It’s got a split-second little delay, which sounds very mechanical, like a typewriter almost, on the vocal, which is like a little bit jangly. The whole thing is, I always thought it’s a pretty good musical picture of what cocaine is like. A little bit evil. And hard-edged. And also that sing-songy thing, because that’s what it is… A sing-songy thing, a little melody that gets in your head.”
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