I don't think Romero's origins/nationality etc are actually that important to the song meaning (although the pilgrim association with his name is interesting, hadn't heard that before). And really any historical context can only be proven by asking Josh what the hell time-period he was referencing, since the lyrics don't happen to say 'Romero the Italian immigrant got married on the 5th of July, 1891 in western Pennsylvania'. Which is probably a good thing 'cus I have a feeling that wouldn't flow so well.
But yes, the industrial revolution and the railroad are obviously important, as a metaphor for movement in the most negative sense, i,e, abandonment. I personally see it as a pretty straightforward song about abandonment and fleeing responsibility. I'm guessing Harrisburg represents a sort of industrial 'hell'- the terminus of the railroad, which is a 'modern' path to hell. It's the old 'iron horse' vision of the trains and the railroad, as percieved by American Indians- you know, scary metal satan coming to destroy the lush paradise that used to be the American West (aka the Garden of Eden). And all that is just a vehicle (literally! hardy har) to illustrate the man's abandonment of his family and put it into this sort of huge parallel historical context.
In that sense it's reminiscent of the English ballad 'The Dalesman's litany', which was set during the glory days of the Industrial revolution and is sort of a plea for god to deliver the narrator from 'Hull and Halifax and Hell' modern cities where 'furnaces thrust out tongues of fire' etc etc. Except that that has a happy ending, and 'Harrisburg' definitely doesn't!
I don't think Romero's origins/nationality etc are actually that important to the song meaning (although the pilgrim association with his name is interesting, hadn't heard that before). And really any historical context can only be proven by asking Josh what the hell time-period he was referencing, since the lyrics don't happen to say 'Romero the Italian immigrant got married on the 5th of July, 1891 in western Pennsylvania'. Which is probably a good thing 'cus I have a feeling that wouldn't flow so well.
But yes, the industrial revolution and the railroad are obviously important, as a metaphor for movement in the most negative sense, i,e, abandonment. I personally see it as a pretty straightforward song about abandonment and fleeing responsibility. I'm guessing Harrisburg represents a sort of industrial 'hell'- the terminus of the railroad, which is a 'modern' path to hell. It's the old 'iron horse' vision of the trains and the railroad, as percieved by American Indians- you know, scary metal satan coming to destroy the lush paradise that used to be the American West (aka the Garden of Eden). And all that is just a vehicle (literally! hardy har) to illustrate the man's abandonment of his family and put it into this sort of huge parallel historical context.
In that sense it's reminiscent of the English ballad 'The Dalesman's litany', which was set during the glory days of the Industrial revolution and is sort of a plea for god to deliver the narrator from 'Hull and Halifax and Hell' modern cities where 'furnaces thrust out tongues of fire' etc etc. Except that that has a happy ending, and 'Harrisburg' definitely doesn't!