A classic country song has had its toe-tapping lyrics reworked, swapping a journey across North America for a ride on the Tyne and Wear Metro.
The energising track ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’, has been playfully reworked into a Geordie by a North East mandolin group.
Musicians from the Tyneside Mandolin Orchestra came up with the clever cover of the famous geographical number, reeling off the names of every Metro stop on the system. This is the first time the song has featured Metro station toponyms in its popular tongue-twisting verses.
The Metro-themed version is a musical exploration of the familiar system map - from South Hylton to Airport on the green line, to South Shields and St James on the yellow line.
A classic of the country music genre, ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’ has provided hits for several singers down the years, perhaps most notably the legendary American musician Johnny Cash.
The reworked Geordie version of the song was the brainchild of Tom Cronin, musical director of the Tyneside Mandolin Orchestra, based in Jesmond, Newcastle.
He said: “Everyone in our group has really loved working on the song and then performing it. It’s just been great fun.
“I had heard the song on the radio one day and an idea came to me about reworking it somehow to make a localised version. The idea was to swap out the American locations for Tyne and Wear Metro stations, and we set about that task as a group.
“The challenge was shoe-horning our lyrics into the rhythm of the song, and then adapting the chorus. I’m really pleased with what we’ve come up with.
“We’re delighted that Nexus liked the song and that they asked us to perform it live for their customers at Jesmond Metro station.”
Huw Lewis, Customer Services Director at Nexus, said: “The reworked lyrics of this song perfectly demonstrate how the Metro is at the heart of the communities it serves and is firmly part of everyday life in North East England.
“We love the song. It’s fantastic. It’s really clever the way in which the musicians from the Tyneside mandolin orchestra have managed to reel off all 60 Metro stations that we have on the system.
“It’s a playful take on a legendary piece of music. We’ve added the film of them performing the song on to the Nexus YouTube page so our customers can watch what has been produced. It’s well worth a look.”
‘I’ve Been Everywhere’ was written by the Australian country singer Geoff Mack in 1959, touching on many locations in his country, and was popularised by his countryman Lucky Starr with a hit version of it in 1962. That year, it was taken to new heights with a version by Canadian-American country legend Hank Snow.
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Since then, many artists have covered it, featuring different lyrics about their native lands.
Johnny Cash famously covered the song in 1996 on his album ‘Unchained’. The record was a tremendous success and helped earn Cash a Grammy for ‘Best Country Album’ in that year.
If you fancy giving hearing it for yourself, Nexus, the public body which runs Metro, has recorded a performance of the song and shared it on its YouTube channel.
The full lyrics of the Metro themed version of I’ve Been Everywhere is below:
l was totin' my pack along the dusty Scotswood Road, when along came a lorry with a high an‘ canvas covered load.
If you're goin' to the Metro, man, with me you can ride
And so l climbed into the cab and then l settled down inside.
He asked me if l’d seen a road with so much dust and sand. And l said “Listen, l’ve travelled every line in this here land….
I've been everywhere, man l’ve been everywhere, man. Crossed the Tyne and Wear, man, l‘ve breathed the North Sea air, man, Of travel l’ve had my share, man, l’ve been everywhere…I‘ve been to Bankfoot, Ilford Road, Kingston Park, Chilli Road, Cullercoats, South Shields, Meadowell, Millfield, Benton, North Shields, Percy Main, Tyne Dock, Stadium of Light, Monument, Park Lane, Chichester, Gateshead, Hadrian Road, Palmersville, Wansbeck Road….. (D) l‘ve been everywhere….
l said, l‘ve been everywhere, man ....... .. l‘ve been to Wallsend, West Jesmond, Monkseaton, Sunderland, Byker, Longbenton, Walkergate, Howdon, Tynemouth, Simonside, Seaburn, Pallion, Four Lane Ends, Pelaw, St James, Shiremoor, Haymarket, Heworth, Brockley Whins, Whitley Bay (D) I've been everywhere…..
l said, I’ve been everywhere, man .......... I've been to Fellgate, Regent Centre, Airport, Central Station, Fawdon, Gateshead Stadium, Felling, West Monkseaton, South Gosforth, East Boldon, South Hylton, St Peters, Manors, Northumberland Park, Hebburn, University, Bede, Jarrow, Jesmond, Callerton Parkway…
l’ve been everywhere Instrumental l said, l‘ve been everywhere, man.
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