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The Cheese Song: A Haunting Melody from the Orphan Train Era

Seth Hayes

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In the annals of American music, few songs evoke such a profound sense of loss, despair, and innocence lost as "The Cheese Song." This haunting ballad, passed down through generations, tells the tragic tale of orphaned children transported westward by train during the Orphan Train Movement of the 19th century.

Origins of the Orphan Trains

The Orphan Train Movement was a large-scale effort to relocate orphaned and abandoned children from overcrowded orphanages in Eastern cities to foster homes and adoptive families in the rural Midwest and West. Between 1854 and 1929, an estimated 200,000 children were sent on these "Orphan Trains."

The Cheese Song: All Aboard the Orphan Train!

by Facundo Conforti

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	4217 KB
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Print length	:	38 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

The journey aboard the trains was often arduous and harrowing. Children were packed into crowded boxcars, enduring unsanitary conditions, hunger, and the constant threat of disease. To supplement their meager rations, they often sang songs to pass the time and lift their spirits. One such song became known as "The Cheese Song."

The Lyrics of "The Cheese Song"

The lyrics of "The Cheese Song" are as simple as they are heartbreaking:

We are poor little orphans, We've got no one to care. We've got no father or mother, We've got no home anywhere. (Chorus) Oh, give us a piece of cheese, Just a tiny little bit. We're so hungry, we're so cold, We'll starve to death if we don't get it.

The song's poignant refrain, "Oh, give us a piece of cheese," has become synonymous with the plight of the Orphan Train children. A simple request for sustenance, it encapsulates the desperate hunger and deprivation they endured.

The Haunting Melody

As haunting as the lyrics are, it is the song's melody that truly captures the ethereal sadness of the Orphan Train experience. The tune is slow and mournful, with a haunting quality that lingers in the memory long after the song is over.

The melody is said to have been inspired by the cries of the orphaned children themselves. As they traveled westward, their voices carried through the train cars, a chorus of lament and longing. The song became a way for them to express their pain and to seek solace in each other's company.

Legacy of "The Cheese Song"

"The Cheese Song" has become a powerful symbol of the Orphan Train Movement. It has been recorded by numerous artists, from folk singers to classical musicians. It is often performed at commemorations and events related to the Orphan Train era.

The song serves as a reminder of the hardships faced by orphaned children during this period in American history. It is a testament to their resilience and the enduring power of music to express the human experience.

Additional Resources

Orphan Train Museum
Orphan Train Songs
Orphan Train Song Book

Image Descriptions

"Orphan Train Children on the Step of a Passenger Train" by Smithsonian Institution, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
"The Cheese Song" sheet music cover