I’m an Old Cowhand

A silly “spoof” of a cowboy song, written for the 1936 movie “Rhythm on the Range,” in which it was sung by Bing Crosby.  It has since been recorded by numerous singers and musicians, including Roy Rogers, Frank Sinatra and Harry Connick, Jr.   The words and music were written by Johnny Mercer.

I’m an old cowhand from the Rio Grande
But my legs ain’t bowed and my cheeks ain’t tanned
I’m a cowboy who never saw a cow
Never roped a steer ’cause I don’t know how
And I sure ain’t fixin’ to start in now
Yippee-yi-o-ki-yay, yippee-yi-o-ki-yay

I’m an old cowhand from the Rio Grande
And I learned to ride ‘fore I learned to stand
I’m a ridin’ fool who is up to date
I know every trail in the Lone Star State
‘Cause I ride the range in my old V8
Yippee-yi-o-ki-yay, yippee-yi-o-ki-yay

I’m an old cowhand from the Rio Grande
And I came to town just to hear the band
I know all the songs that the cowboys know
‘Bout the big corral where the doggies go
‘Cause I learned them all on the radio
Yippee-yi-o-ki-yay, yippee-yi-o-ki-yay

I’m an old cowhand from the Rio Grande
Where the west is wild ’round the borderland
Where the buffalo roam around the zoo
And the Injuns run up a rug or two
And the old Bar X is just a barbecue
Yippee-yi-o-ki-yay, yippee-yi-o-ki-yay

For a fun rendition of this Bing Crosby hit, here’s a great old skit from “The Lawrence Welk Show”:

The Big Rock Candy Mountain

On a summer day in the month of May, a burly bum came hiking
Down a shady lane, through the sugar cane he was looking for his liking
As he roamed along he sang a song of the land of milk and honey
Where a bum can stay for many a day and he won’t need any money

Chorus:

Oh, the buzzin’ of the bees in the peppermint trees
Near the soda water fountain
At the lemonade springs where the bluebird sings
In the Big Rock Candy Mountain

There’s a lake of gin we can both jump in, and the handouts grow on bushes
In the new-mown hay we can sleep all day,
       and the bars all have free lunches
Where the mail train stops and there ain’t no cops
       and the folks are tenderhearted
Where you never change your socks and you never throw rocks
        and your hair is never parted

On a run came a farmer and his son, to the hay fields they were bounding
Said the bum to the son, “Why don’t you come
       to that Big Rock Candy Mountain?”
So the very next day they hiked away, all the mile posts they kept counting
But they never arrived at the lemonade tide in the Big Rock Candy Mountain

The Yellow Rose of Texas

This popular Texas ballad dates back at least as far as the American Civil War, and was popular among Confederate soldiers (especially those from the Lone Star State).

There’s a yellow rose in Texas,
I’m going there to see.
No other soldier knows her,
Nobody, only me.
She cried so when I left her,
It like to broke my heart
And if I ever find her
We never more will part

[Chorus]

She’s the sweetest rose of color
This soldier ever knew;
Her eyes are bright as diamonds
They sparkle like the dew.
You may talk about your dearest May
And sing of Rosa Lee,
But the Yellow Rose of Texas
Beats the belles of Tennessee.

Where the Rio Grande is flowing,
And the starry skies are bright,
She walks along the river
In the quiet summer night.
I know that she remembers
When we parted long ago,
I promised to come back again
And ne’er to leave her so.

Now I’m going back to find her,
For my heart is full of woe.
We’ll sing the song together
We sang so long ago;
I’ll play the banjo gaily,
We’ll sing the songs of yore;
And the Yellow Rose of Texas
Will be mine forevermore!

My sister sent me this other verse, which I vaguely remember but which doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the song until you remember this ballad likely dates from the time of the American Civil War:

And now I’m going southward,
For my heart is full of woe.
I’m going back to Georgia,
To see my Uncle Joe.
You may talk about your Beauregard
And sing of Bobby Lee,
But the Gallant Hood of Texas
He raised Hell in Tennessee.

For more information on the history and legends behind this old Texas favorite, see the song’s entry in Wikipedia.

Red River Valley

From this valley they say you are going
I will miss your sweet face and sweet smile
Just because you are weary and tired
You are changing your range for a while

[Chorus]

Then come sit here a while ‘ere you leave me
Do not hasten to bid me adieu
But remember the Red River Valley
And the girl that has loved you so true

I’ve been thinking a long time my darling
Of the sweet words you never would say
Now alas, must my fond hopes all vanish?
For they say you are going away

When you think of the valley you are leaving
Oh how lonely and drear it would be
When you think of the fond heart you’re breaking
And the pain you are causing to me

From this valley they say you are going
When you go, may your darling go too?
Would you leave her behind, unprotected
When she loves no other but you?

There never could be such a longing
In the heart of a poor maiden’s breast
That dwells in the heart you are breaking
As I wait in my home in the West

And the dark maiden’s prayer for her lover
To the Spirit that rules our poor world
May his pathway be ever in sunshine
Is the prayer of the Red River girl

The Old Chisholm Trail

Oh, come along boys and listen to my tale
I’ll tell you all my troubles on the ol’ Chisholm trail

[Chorus]

Come a ti-yi yippee yippee yea, yippee yea
Come a ti-yi yippee yippee yea

On a ten dollar horse and a forty dollar saddle
I was ridin’ and a-punchin’ Texas cattle

We left ol’ Texas October twenty-third
Drivin’ up the trail with the U-2 herd

I’m up every mornin’ before daylight
And before I sleep the moon shines bright

It’s bacon and beans most every day
I’d just as soon be eatin’ prairie hay

I woke up one mornin’ on the Chisholm trail
With a rope in my hand and a cow by the tail

Oh, it’s cloudy in the west and a-lookin’ like rain
And my old slicker’s in the wagon again

Oh the wind start to blow and the rain it did fall
And it looked to us cowpokes like we’d lose ’em all

I jumped in the saddle and grabbed hold the horn
The best cowpuncher that ever was born

I was on my best horse, and she started to run
The quickest shootin’ cowboy that ever pulled a gun

Get Along Little Dogies

For all of you non-cowpokes out there, a “dogie” (pronounced doe-gy) is actually an orphaned calf. (Thanks for the correction, Rudy!)  This is a fun little cowboy song that I learned way back in third grade.

As I was out walking one morning for pleasure
I spied a cowpuncher a-riding along
His hat was throwed back and his spurs were a-jingling
And as he approached he was singing this song

[Chorus]

Whoopie-ti-yi-yo
Get along little dogies
It’s your misfortune and none of my own
Whoopie-ti-yi-yo
Get along little dogies
You know that Wyoming will be your new home

Early in spring we round up all the dogies
Mark them and brand them and bob off their tails
Round up the horses and load the chuck wagon
And throw all them dogies right out on the trail

Note: I’m not quite sure whether we learned the chorus as “Whoopiee-ti-yi-yo” or “Yippee-…”  Both sound familiar, and I guess it doesn’t really matter which way you sing it.

There are other verses available on the internet, but these are the ones that I learned and that seemed the most appropriate for kids.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

While it’s not the official state song of Texas, Deep in the Heart of Texas is probably as representative as and much more widely known than that grand anthem.  And it is filled with the fun and joyful spirit that is such an integral part of the great lone star state.

The song is traditionally emphasized with four quick, loud hand-claps following the first and third lines of each verse (immediately before singing “Deep in the heart of Texas”).

The stars at night are big and bright  (clap, clap, clap, clap)
Deep in the heart of Texas
The prairie sky is wide and high  (clap, clap, clap, clap)
Deep in the heart of Texas

The sage in bloom is like perfume
Deep in the heart of Texas
Reminds me of the one I love
Deep in the heart of Texas

The coyotes wail along the trail
Deep in the heart of Texas
The rabbits rush around the brush
Deep in the heart of Texas

The cowboys cry, “Ki-yippee-yi!”
Deep in the heart of Texas
The dogies bawl, and bawl ad bawl
Deep in the heart of Texas

Per the Texas State Library, the music was written by Don Swander, the words by June Hershey, somewhere around 1941 or so.

Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie

This is one of several old “cowboy songs” we learned way back in elementary school. The combined third grade classes did a whole program of them (I’m guessing in late winter/early spring, around rodeo season), and this is one of the ones that I still remember — thirty some-odd years later.

“O bury me not on the lone prairie”
These words came low and mournfully
From the pallid lips of the youth who lay
On his dying bed at the close of day

He had wailed in pain till o’er his brow
The Shadow of Death was gathering now
He thought of his home and his loved ones nigh
As the cowboys gathered to see him die

“O bury me not on the lone prairie
Where the wild coyote will howl o’er me
Where the buffalo roams the prairie sea
O bury me not on the lone prairie”

“It matters not, so I’ve been told
Where the body lies when life grows cold
But grant, I pray, one wish to me
O bury me not on the lone prairie”

“I’ve often wished to be laid when I die
By the little church on the green hillside
By my father’s grave, there let mine be
O bury me not on the lone prairie”

The cowboys gathered all around the bed
To hear the last word that their comrade said
O partners all, take a warning from me
Never leave your homes for the lone prairie”

“Don’t listen to the enticing words
Of the men who own droves and herds
For if you do, you’ll rue the day
That you left your homes for the lone prairie”

“O bury me not,” but his voice failed there
But we paid no head to his dying prayer
In a narrow grave, just six by three
We buried him there on the lone prairie

We buried him there on the lone prairie
Where the buzzards fly and the wind blows free
Where rattlesnakes rattle and the tumbleweeds
Blow across his grave on the lone prairie

And the cowboys now as they cross the plains
Have marked the spot where his bones are lain
Fling a handful of roses on his grave
And pray to the Lord that his soul be saved

The moon comes up when the sun goes down
And it lights the grave where we laid him down
His pale young face never more we’ll see
We buried him there on the lone prairie

Click here for a few more kid-friendly “cowboy songs.”

Home on the Range

The quintessential American cowboy song, lauding of the beauty and wonder of the (once) unspoiled American west.  Here are the words I learned as a kid.

Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day

[Chorus]

Home, home on the range
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day

Where the air is so pure, the wind blows so free
The breezes so balmy and light
That I would not exchange my home on the range
For all of the cities so bright

How often at night, when the heavens are bright
With the light of the glimmering stars
I have stood there amazed and asked as I gazed
If their glory exceeds that of ours

I love the wildflowers in this great land of ours
I love the wild curlew’s shrill scream
The blufs and white rocks, and the antelop flocks
That graze on the mountains so green

The Texas State Library identifies the author and composer of Home on the Range as Brewster Higley and Daniel Kelley, respectively.  It also lists some additional verses, as well as slight variations on the ones above.

Back in the Saddle Again

I’m back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly jimson weed
I’m back in the saddle again

Riding the range once more
Totin’ my old forty-four
Where you sleep out every night
And the only law is right
Back in the saddle again

Whoopie ti yi yo
Rocking to and fro
Back in the saddle again
Whoopie ti yi yea
I’ll go my way
Back in the saddle again