The Beach Boys

Released: October 31, 2011

Songwriter: Van Dyke Parks Brian Wilson

Producer: Brian Wilson

[First Section - "Home on the Range"]

[Verse 1]
Light the lamp and fire mellow
Cabin essence timely hello
Welcomes the time for a change

[Verse 2]
Lost and found, you still remain there
You'll find a meadow filled with grain there
I'll give you a home on the range...

[Second Section - "Who ran the Iron Horse"]

[Refrain]
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?

[First Section - "Home on the Range"]

[Verse 3]
I want to watch you windblown facing
Waves of wheat for your embracing
Folks sing a song of the grange

Nestle in a kiss below there
The constellations ebb and flow there
And witness our home on the range...

[Second Section - "Who ran the Iron Horse"]

[Refrain]
Who ran the iron horse? (Truck drivin' man, do what you can)
Who ran the iron horse? (High-tail your load off the road)
Who ran the iron horse? (Out of night-life, it's a gas man)
Who ran the iron horse? (I don't believe I gotta grieve)
Who ran the iron horse? (I'm outta luck)
Who ran the iron horse? (with a buck and a booth)
Who ran the iron horse? (Catchin' on to the truth)
Who ran the iron horse? (In the vast past, the last gasp)
Who ran the iron horse? (Land in the dust, trust that you must)
Who ran the iron horse? (Catch as catch can)

[Third Section - "The Grand Coolie Dam"]

[Refrain 1]
Have you seen the Grand Coolie working on the railroad?
Have you seen the Grand Coolie working on the railroad?
Have you seen the Grand Coolie working on the railroad?

[Refrain 2]
Over and over, the crow cries uncover the cornfield
Over and over, the thresher and hover the wheat field
Over and over, the crow cries uncover the cornfield
Over and over, the thresher and hover the wheat field

The Beach Boys are one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time and the first American pop band to reach the 50-year milestone. Their vocal harmonies are among the most unmistakable and enduring of the rock and roll era.

Formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California, by Brian Wilson, his two brothers Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and classmate Al Jardine, the group’s first single “Surfin'” got them signed to Capitol Records and they quickly became one of the most popular and successful artists of the surf music craze of the 1960s. From 1962 to 1966, The Beach Boys scored over twenty top 40 hits in the US including the chart-toppers “I Get Around”, “Help Me Rhonda” & “Good Vibrations” along with the top 5’s “Surfin USA”, “Fun, Fun, Fun”, “California Girls”, “Barbara Ann” & “Sloop John B”. Several of the band’s singles also found top 40 success in Canada, Australia, Sweden and the UK. In 1965, de facto leader Brian Wilson suffered a mental breakdown due to the stress of writing, producing & touring combined with substance abuse issues, causing him to step down and stop traveling with the band on tour.

Inspired by producer Phil Spector and The Beatles' Rubber Soul, Brian focused on studio work, determined to keep the group relevant as the surf music scene was fading with their 1966 album Pet Sounds. Despite tension between members in the studio about this new direction, lack of faith from the record label, mixed reviews, and comparatively lukewarm reception initially in the US, the album still found massive success in the UK and earned accolades from fellow artists including The Beatles, who acknowledged that the album was their inspiration to further push the boundaries of pop music with their landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Eventually Pet Sounds would be acknowledged as one of the greatest albums ever recorded by several media outlets like The Times, Mojo Magazine, The Guardian, VH1, BBC and Rolling Stone.

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