Lyr Add: Lone Star Trail

Subject: Lyr Add: Lone Star Trail
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Oct 11 - 02:29 PM

Lyr. Add: LONE STAR TRAIL
(John A. Lomax, 1910, 1925)

I'm a rowdy cowboy, just off the stormy plains,
My trade is girting saddles and pulling bridle reins.
Oh, I can tip the lasso it is with graceful ease;
I rope a streak of lightning, and ride it where I please.
My bosses they all like me, they say I'm hard to beat;
I give them the bold standoff, you bet I have got the cheek.
I always work for wages, my pay I get in gold;
I am bound to follow the longhorn steer until I am too old.

Chorus-
Ci yi yip yip pe ya.

2
I am a Texas cowboy and I do ride the range;
My trade is cinches ans saddles and ropes and bridle reins;
With Stetson hat and jingling spurs and leather up to the knees,
Gray backs as big as chili beans and fighting like hell with fleas.
And if I had a little stake, I soon would married be,
But another week and I must go, the boss said so to-day.
My girl must cheer up courage and choose some other one,
For I am bound to follow the Lone Star Trail until my race is run.
Cho-
3
It almost breaks my heart for to have to go away,
And leave my own little darling, my sweetheart so far away.
But when I'm out on the Lone Star trail often I'll think of thee,
Of my own dear girl, the darling one, the one I would like to see.
And when I get to a shipping point, I'll get on a little spree
To drive away the sorrow for the girl that once loved me.
And though red licker stirs us up we're bound to have our fun,
And I intend to follow the Lone Star Trail until my race is run.
Cho.
4
I went up the Lone Star Trail in eithteen eithty-three;
I fell in love with a pretty miss and she in love with me.
"When you get to Kansas write and let me know;
And if you get in trouble, your bail I'll come and go."
When I got up in Kansas, I had a pleasant dream;
I dreamed I was down on Trinity, down on that pleasant stream;
I dreampt my true love right beside me, she come to go my bail;
I woke up broken hearted with a yearling by the tail.
Cho.
5
In came my jailer about nine o'clock,
A bunch of keys were in his hand, my cell door to unlock,
Saying, "Cheer up, my prisoner, I heard some voice say
You're bound to hear your sentence some time today."
In came my mother about ten o'clock,
Saying, "O my loving Johnny, what sentence have you got?"
"The jury found me guilty and the judge a-standin' by
Has sent me down to Huntsville to lock me up and die."
Cho-
6
Down come the jailer, just about eleven o'clock,
With a bunch of keys all in his hand the cell doors to unlock,
Saying. "Cheer up, my prisoner, I heard the jury say
Just ten long years in Huntsville you're bound to go and stay."
Down come my sweetheart, ten dollars in her hand,
Saying, "Give this to my cowboy, 'tis all that I command;
O give this to my cowboy and think of olden times,
Think of the darling that he has left behind."
Cho.

Alan Lomax provided neither notes nor musical score.
There are many varieties to this song, it was a favorite with Ken Maynard and other singers who used verses from other songs and added some of their own.
In 1960, The Folk Songs of North America, Alan Lomax used the title "I'm Bound ....." and gave new verses, probably from Alec Moore, and arranged by J. and A. Lomax.

Margaret Larkin, 1931, Singing Cowboy, printed a version, "I'm Bound to Follow the Long Horn Cow," fom MSS. of Franz Rickaby, given to Carl Sandburg.

See thread 61291 for some of the revisions and additions.
I'm Bound to Follow the Longhorn Cows

Fife and Fire printed other versions of Lone Star Trail to be added later.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Star Trail
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Oct 11 - 04:08 PM

Lyr. Add: LONE STAR TRAIL 2
Fife and Fife Text A

Oh, I am a lonely cowboy and I'm of off the Texas Trail,
My trade is cinchin' saddles and pullin' bridle reins;
For I can twist a lasso with the greatest skill and ease,
Or rope and ride a bronco most anywhere I please.
2
Oh, I love the rolling prairie that's far from trial and strife,
Behind a bunch of longhorns I'll journey all my life.
But if I had a stake, boys, soon married I would be
To the sweetest girl in this wide world, just fell in love with me.
3
Oh, when we get on the trail, boys, the dusty billows ride,
It's fifty miles from water and the grass is scorching dry;
Oh, the boss is mad and ringy, you all can plainly see,
I'll have to pull out the longhorns, I'm a cowboy here to be.
4
But when it comes a rain, boys, one of the gentle kind,
When the lakes are full of water and the grass is waving fine,
Oh, the boss'll shed his frown, boys, and a pleasant smile you'll see,
I'll have to pull out the longhorns, I'm a cowboy here to be.
5
Oh, when we get 'em bedded we sink down for the night,
Some horse'll shake his saddle, it'll give the herd a fright,
They'll bound to their feet, boys, and madly stampede away,
In one moment's time, boys, you can hear a cowboy say:
6
Oh, when we get them bedded we feel most inclined,
When a cloud'll rise in the west, boys, and the fire play on their horns.
Oh, the old boss rides around them, your pay you'll get in gold,
So I'll have to pull out the longhorns until I am too old.

Columbia 2310D, Ken Maynard.
Austin E. and Alta S. Fife, 1969, pp. 306-308, with musical score and chords.
The Fifes' comment: ""Lone Star Trail" encompases a cluster of song subjects that range from the painful separation of lovers to the grim realism of life on the trail. Typically in these songs, trailing and cowpunching loom as compulsions that drive men onward and away from the amenities of a highly organized society." .....

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Star Trail
From: Lighter
Date: 25 Oct 11 - 04:22 PM

Not Sandburg's "Lone Star Trail," however.

That's really "The Old Chisholm Trail."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Star Trail
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Oct 11 - 05:30 PM

Lyr. Add: THE TEXAS COWBOY
Coll. Ina Sires

1
I am a Texas cowboy,
Just from the Texas range,
My trade is cinching saddles
And pulling bridle reins;
I can throw the lasso
with greatest of ease,
Rope and ride a broncho
in any way I please.
2
I love the rolling prairie,
I love its joys and strife,
Behind a bunch of longhorns
I've journeyed all my life;
And if I had a little stake,
soon married I would be,
For the prettiest girl in this wide world
has fell in love with me.
3
When we are on the trail, boys,
The sands like bullets fly;
We're fifty miles from water,
The grass is scorching dry,
Our boss is mad and *wringy,
as you can plainly see,
Oh, I want to quit the trail, boys,
And an honest farmer be.
4
But now has come a rain, boys,
One of those *gen'ral kind;
The lakes are full of water,
The grass is growing fine,
Our boss has shed his frown, boys,
A joyful smile you see,
Oh, I want to quit my homestead,
And a roaming cowboy be.
5
And when we get them bedded,
And thinking for the night,
Some horse will shake his saddle,
And give the herd a fright,
They'll all mount to their feet, boys,
And madly dash away,
And in the heat of the moment,
You'll hear some cowboy say.
6
And when we get them bedded,
And feeling most forlorn,
A cloud in the west arises,
Makes fire play on their horns.
The boss says to them, "Boys, your pay,
You all will get in gold."
Oh, I'm bound to follow the long horn steers,
Until I am too old.

With musical score, pp. 8-9.

*general becomes gentle in most versions; I believe 'general' is the proper modifier.
*wringy often written 'ringy'.

Ina Sires was raised on a west Texas ranch. She collected western songs and lore, and lectured about life on the range. The musical scores accompanying her songs were widely used.

Ina Sires, 1928, Songs of the Open Range, with piano accompaniments by Charles Repper. C. C. Birchard & Co., Boston-New York.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Star Trail
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Oct 11 - 05:50 PM

The Lone Star Trail was the name applied by some Texas cattlemen to the trail to the railhead in Kansas, joining part of the Chisholm Trail, which started on the Red River at the southern trading post of Chisholm's.

Not really pertinent, but in 1943, a film titled "The Lone Star Trail" was released, srtarring Johnny Mack Brown, Tex Ritter, and Fuzzy Knight. Robert Mitchum was in the supporting cast, and songs were by the Jimmie Wakely Trio, supporting Tex Ritter in some of the songs.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Star Trail
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Oct 11 - 10:35 AM

See here for a related song: Lyr Add: I'm Bound to Follow the Longhorn Cows.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Star Trail
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Oct 11 - 02:50 PM

Already linked in the first post, Jim.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Star Trail
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Oct 11 - 03:45 PM

Lyr. Add: I AM A TEXAS COWBOY
Powder River Jack Lee

1
Oh, I am a Texas cowboy, right off of the Texas plains,
My trade is cinchin' saddles and a-pullin' of bridle reins;
And I can throw a lasso with the greatest of ease,
I can rope and ride a bronco any damn way I please.
2
I love the rollin' prairies, with all their joy and strife,
Behind a herd of longhorns, I've journeyed all my life;
And if I had a little wife how happy I would be,
For the prettiest girl in all the world has fell in love with me.
3
And when we get 'em bedded down, and settled for the night,
Some cayuse shakes his saddle and he gives the herd a fright;
And as they madly stampede and gallop fast away
In the heat of the moment, I can hear some cowboy say:
4
Oh, I am a Texas cowboy, just off the stormy plains,
My trade is hosses, cinches, saddles, ropes and bridle reins;
Oh, I can tip a lariat and with a graceful ease,
I can rope a streak of lightnin' and I ride it where I please.
5
Again we got 'em bedded down, I'm feelin' most forlorn;
A fire in the west arises and with lightnin' on their horns,
The boss says, "Boys, yore pay is here, you'll get it all in gold."
Oh, I'm bound to follow the longhorns until I get too old.

Powder River Jack H. Lee, 1938, Cowboy Songs, p. 79 with musical score. The McKee Printing Company, Butte, Montana.

QAnother variant by a singing cowboy. Origin unknown, first printed in John A. Lomax, 1910, 1925 without comment.

In the Introduction, Powder River Jack says, "When we left Buffalo Springs, Texas, in 1898, with 5,000 longhorns which we had gathered on the Pecos valleys, we trailed the last herd north. ....."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Star Trail
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 14 - 02:26 PM

In response to:
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Star Trail
From: Q
Date: 25 Oct 11 - 04:08 PM

I am pretty sure that in the Ken Maynard version of Lone Star Trail, he sings "I'll have to FOLLOW the longhorns" in each place where it has been indicated here "I'll have to PULL OUT the longhorns."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Star Trail
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Feb 14 - 03:00 PM

See link above to "I'm Bound to Follow the Longhorn Cows."

I have posted in this thread Maynard's version on Columbia records. He may have sung it differently at other times or you may be thinking of the song linked in my first post and by Jim Dixon.