Those pioneering railway workers certainly had to deal with many issues - from the danger to the monotony of the job. This song (open strings plus 'Deadly D', C chord) can be played and sung as call-and-response, 2-bar canon, or using a 4-beat ostinato to keep those workers on task!
As an extension, students may be able to create their own ostinato patterns as accompaniment using percussion instruments to bring the work to life - can you here the hammer strikes, the desert rattlesnakes, the shuffle of feet...?
