--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Black people lived right by the railroad…" description: "\"Black people lived right by the railroad tracks, and the train would shake their houses at night. I would hear it as a boy, and I thought: I'm gonna ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/little-richard-8263_black_black-people-lived-right-by-the-railroad_2247729.jpg" --- # Black people lived right by the railroad tracks, and the… ![“Black people lived right by the railroad tracks, and the train would shake their houses at night. I would hear it as a boy, and I thought: I'm gonna make a song that sounds like that.” quote by Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/little-richard-8263_black_black-people-lived-right-by-the-railroad_2247729.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/little-richard-8263_black_black-people-lived-right-by-the-railroad_2247729.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/little-richard-8263_black_black-people-lived-right-by-the-railroad_2247729.jpg) > “Black people lived right by the railroad tracks, and the train would shake their houses at night. I would hear it as a boy, and I thought: I'm gonna make a song that sounds like that.” [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes childhood exposure to train vibrations inspiring musical rhythm. **In simple terms:** Train sounds shaped his music. Key Takeaway Turn everyday sounds into art. Themes inspiration music memory Mood nostalgic energetic Type musical creative When to use this quote - songwriting - sound design - urban storytelling Key Concepts soundscape creative influence Questions to Reflect On - How can ambient noise inspire creativity? - What sounds define your personal soundtrack? A Different Perspective Not all sounds translate musically. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-people/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Railroad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railroad/) [Railroad tracks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railroad-tracks/) [Railroads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railroads/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) ## Related quotes > [People don't like railroad tracks near them? We'll see how they feel when the percentage of U.S. citizens who can afford to drive a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/people-don-t-like-railroad-tracks-near-them-we-ll-see-how-they-feel/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [a TEN-YEAR-OLD lad in Indianapolis who was arrested for picking up coal along the side of railroad tracks is now in jail. If the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-jones/a-ten-year-old-lad-in-indianapolis-who-was-arrested-for-picking-up/) Mother Jones > [I mean, the power of water to lift cars is amazing. A creek backed up near a railroad track. And an entire train was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-nixon/i-mean-the-power-of-water-to-lift-cars-is-amazing-a-creek-backed-up/) [Jay Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-nixon/) > [It's the same things your whole life. 'Clean up your room!', 'Stand up straight!', 'Pick up your feet!', 'Take it like a man!', 'Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-connors/it-s-the-same-things-your-whole-life-clean-up-your-room-stand-up/) [Philip Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-connors/) > [The ability to rebound is in inverse proportion to the distance your house is from the nearest railroad tracks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/the-ability-to-rebound-is-in-inverse-proportion-to-the-distance-your/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [I lived a few miles outside of a tiny town in central Oklahoma. I would often run amok though the fields of wheat, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-lived-a-few-miles-outside-of-a-tiny-town-in-central-oklahoma-i/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [Separation of the Church and State is like a railroad track. It cannot be close to one another, neither can it be distant, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-sin/separation-of-the-church-and-state-is-like-a-railroad-track-it-cannot/) Jaime Sin > [It is still news to her that passion could steer her wrong though she went down, a thousand times strung out across railroad tracks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-di-prima/it-is-still-news-to-her-that-passion-could-steer-her-wrong-though-she/) [Diane di Prima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-di-prima/) > [You cannot tie your fiance to the railroad track of self-reflection and personal improvement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-dickinson/you-cannot-tie-your-fiance-to-the-railroad-track-of-self-reflection/) [Amy Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-dickinson/) > [There was one moment, and it happened in school. I had a big final exam - we were supposed to write a 20-page report…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/there-was-one-moment-and-it-happened-in-school-i-had-a-big-final-exam/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [Now I need to take a piece of wood and make it sound like the railroad track, but I also had to make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/now-i-need-to-take-a-piece-of-wood-and-make-it-sound-like-the/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [When I was a little kid, I used to walk miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles of railroad tracks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-houston/when-i-was-a-little-kid-i-used-to-walk-miles-and-miles-and-miles-and/) [Pam Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-houston/) > [My father was a logger. He cut timber and hauled it out of the woods and had a sawmill. They sawed it into lumber.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-stanley/my-father-was-a-logger-he-cut-timber-and-hauled-it-out-of-the-woods/) [Ralph Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-stanley/) > [I started composting in 1970 by taking my food scraps out behind where I lived and burying them in a hole next to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/i-started-composting-in-1970-by-taking-my-food-scraps-out-behind/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [And that was as far as he got before i heard it. The thumping of footsteps, running up the lawn toward me: It seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/and-that-was-as-far-as-he-got-before-i-heard-it-the-thumping-of/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## More by Little Richard > [I decided to come back and teach goodness in this business. To teach love, because music is the universal language. We are God's bouquet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/i-decided-to-come-back-and-teach-goodness-in-this-business-to-teach/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [It was a way out of poverty. It was a way to success. It was a way to education. And it was a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/it-was-a-way-out-of-poverty-it-was-a-way-to-success-it-was-a-way-to/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [I'm a conductor of revivals. The only minister in the whole package. Little Richard, the evangelist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/i-m-a-conductor-of-revivals-the-only-minister-in-the-whole-package/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [I look back on my life, comin' out of Macon, Georgia - I never thought I'd be a superstar, a living legend. I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/i-look-back-on-my-life-comin-out-of-macon-georgia-i-never-thought-i-d/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [I gave up rock 'n' roll for the rock of ages! I used to be a glaring homosexual until God changed me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/i-gave-up-rock-n-roll-for-the-rock-of-ages-i-used-to-be-a-glaring/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [I thank God for making me a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/i-thank-god-for-making-me-a-man/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [No, I've never truly been a minister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/no-i-ve-never-truly-been-a-minister/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [A-bop-bop-a-loom-op-a-lop-bop-boom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/a-bop-bop-a-loom-op-a-lop-bop-boom/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [I don't give the devil credit for creating nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/i-don-t-give-the-devil-credit-for-creating-nothing/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [They shoulda called me Little Cocaine, I was sniffing so much of the stuff! My nose got big enough to back a diesel truck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/they-shoulda-called-me-little-cocaine-i-was-sniffing-so-much-of-the/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [I never accepted the idea that I had to be guided by some pattern or blueprint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/i-never-accepted-the-idea-that-i-had-to-be-guided-by-some-pattern-or/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [If at first you don't succeed, you get back up and you try ... and you try ... and you try it again ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/if-at-first-you-don-t-succeed-you-get-back-up-and-you-try-and-you-try/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [Plus I love Tanya Tucker and I love country music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/plus-i-love-tanya-tucker-and-i-love-country-music/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [My mother died, and I couldn't stand to look at her bedroom any more. I'd get sick. I've always been a momma's boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/my-mother-died-and-i-couldn-t-stand-to-look-at-her-bedroom-any-more-i/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [If I had my life to live over, I would want to be a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/if-i-had-my-life-to-live-over-i-would-want-to-be-a-man/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) [Explore all 82 Little Richard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. 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