The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #119826   Message #2601882
Posted By: Joe Offer
01-Apr-09 - 12:48 AM
Thread Name: Origins: Slough-foot Sue? / Slewfoot Sue
Subject: Lyr Add: SLEWFOOT SUE
Well, I found the song here (click), but no songwriter attribution.

SLEWFOOT SUE
(songwriter unknown)

She was a big and brawny gal
They called her Slewfoot Sue
The folks of Texas was amazed at the things that she could do
Riding giant catfish up and down the Rio Grande
She'd send cayotes a'runnin'
Crackin' a whip in her hand

She was as wild as the west
Not the type to settle down
She could lasso buckin' broncos
And wrassle 10 men to the ground
Like the marshals and outlaw, her reputation grew
That gal became a legend
That gal named Slewfoot Sue

Sue could sure kick up her heels
When she heard a banjo play
Hootin' and a' howlin'
Cryin Yippee, yippeeay
Oh, Yippee yippeeay, yee-ha and howdy-do
She truly was amazing
Yes she was, she was, Slewfoot Sue

They say Sue tamed a cyclone
Stopped a stampede in its tracks
Though cowboys tried to win her heart
Slewfoot held them back
Some say that Sue had met her match,
when she fell for Pecos Bill
She became his lady love,
courtin' in the hills

Sue could sure kick up her heels
When she heard a banjo play
Hootin' and a' howlin'
Cryin Yippee, yippeeay
Oh, Yippee yippeeay, yee-ha and howdy-do
She truly was amazing
Yes she was, she was, Slewfoot Sue

Sue could sure kick up her heels
When she heard a banjo play
Hootin' and a' howlin'
Cryin Yippee, yippeeay
Oh, Yippee yippeeay, yee-ha and howdy-do
She truly was amazing
Yes she was, she was, Slewfoot Sue


I'm guessing this song is relatively recent. In American folktales, Slewfoot Sue was tied to Pecos Bill - but I couldn't find any songs about her that seemed traditional. There's another rockabilly-style song called "Slewfoot Sue," recorded by Jerry Arnold and the Rhythm Captains. Not the same song, believe me.
-Joe-