A Tribute to Grandmothers and Bunky Beds!

Grandmothers are special people.  When I was a kid, everyone called me Jamie (some very special people still do).  Sleepovers with my grandmother, who we called Gram, were a special treat.  Gram would let my brother, sister and I pick out our own TV dinners, and we would all stay up late watching Knight Rider and munching on puffed rice with melted butter on top.

Getting tucked in at bed time was always the best part, because Gram would sing me to sleep.  One of my favorite songs was "I've Been Working on the Railroad" because between verses Gram would always add her own line, "bunk-y-bunk-y-bunk" like this... "Iiiiii've been workin' on the raiiiil road, Alllll the live-long day, bunk-y-bunk-y-bunk... Iiii've been..."

Gram with all of the grand-kids... Can you tell which one is Jamie?

And thus the "bunky bed" was born.  That's what we called the nest of pillows and blankets I would make for myself and fall asleep in on the floor.  Bunky beds were special, reserved only for sleepovers with Gram.


This song is dedicated to Gram, and to all grandmothers.  Who and where would we all be without them? 

About this Music Video:
The video footage was shot at the Tilden Regional Park Redwood Valley Railway nearby here in Berkeley, CA. We also got special permission to hang out with and videotape some of the members of the the Golden Gate Live Steamers, a model railroad club that has operated at the same location since 1936!  All of the trains in the video were hand-built by very talented hobbyists.  You can even ride on some of them!

Oh, and that's me singing and playing drums too, with our friend Andrew playing guitar and singing the harmony.