I'm Movin' On

'I'm Movin' On'

'I'm Movin' On'. Song by Hank Snow, written in the style of the early US country star Jimmie Rodgers' 'train songs,' about a transient's life riding the railroads. Composed during Snow's last years in Canada, it was recorded by him in 1950 for RCA Victor (0328) and was his first and most substantial hit. It remained on the Billboard country music charts for 44 weeks, 1950-1, making it one of the most successful singles in the first 50 years of recorded country music.

The song was a country hit again for Don Gibson (RCA 7629) in 1959 and for Emmylou Harris (Warner 97297) in 1983; it has also been recorded by Donna Fargo, Mel Tillis, Doc Watson, and other country artists. Versions also have been recorded by singers as diverse as Ray Charles, John Kay (see Steppenwolf), Loggins and Messina, Elvis Presley, and Tina Turner. Charles' interpretation (Atlantic 2043) was a modest pop hit in 1959, as was Kay's (Dunhill 4309) in 1972.

'I'm Movin' On' was copyrighted in 1950 by Hill and Range Music, New York, and was included in that company's folio Hank Snow, The Singing Ranger (1951). The song's rights later were taken over by Unichappell Music Inc, New York.