Lyr/Chords ADD: Whole Heap of Little Horses

Subject: heap of little horses
From: GUEST,bob jr
Date: 06 Feb 01 - 11:53 PM

you folks have always come through for me i am looking for the words and hopefully the chords to heap of little horses (at least thats what i think its called ) go to sleep go to sleep um i forget then when you wake right away all the pretty horses dablled and grey sad and something something something heap of little horses (my memory is gone sorry )

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: heap of little horses
From: Night Owl
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 12:11 AM

hi Bob.....I think the song you're looking for is in the database here. If you type in [Pretty Little Horses]in the blue "Digitrad Lyrics Search" box it should come up for you...complete with a midi of the tune. Hope it's the right one!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: heap of little horses
From: bob jr
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 12:18 AM

night owl it is close very close and the melody is very samilar but its not the one i learned when i was a kid maybe just another one of these kid songs with endless variants?

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: heap of little horses
From: Allan C.
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 12:19 AM

"All the Pretty Little Horses" is in the DigiTrad here:

http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=208

You may have heard it in the 60's under the name "Hush-A-Bye" by Peter, Paul and Mary on their In the Wind album. Their lyrics are here:

http://www.peterpaulandmary.com/music/f-03-02.htm

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: heap of little horses
From: bob jr
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 12:35 AM

um its not quite the same song the lyrics are different but close i am pretty sure this one is called heap of pretty horses but it does have some similar lyrics it was also a round i think...

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: heap of little horses
From: Allan C.
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 12:57 AM

Oh. I looked some more and found a reference to Lomax's recording of Texas Gladden lulling her granddaughter to sleep with "Whole Heap of Pretty Horses". I'll see what else I can find.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: heap of little horses
From: bob jr
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 01:02 AM

thank you allan that sounds right whole heap of pretty horses is more of the lyric i remeber it now when you wake right away all the pretty little horses something etc whole heap of pretty horses

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: heap of little horses
From: Allan C.
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 01:28 AM

Unfortunately, I hit a dead end. I was only able to find out what you saw in my previous post and that the song can be heard on the "Alan Lomax Collection Sampler, Volume 1, Voices From the South" CD. I don't have any of my Lomax books at hand either. Maybe someone else will know it (he said hopefully).

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: heap of little horses
From: Night Owl
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 01:40 AM

I sure hope so too Allan....curious here about it being a round.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: heap of little horses
From: GUEST,Wendy
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 01:47 AM

Hi - I typed in the lyrics to the Texas Gladden version in this thread. (Maybe that's what you were saying you found?)

You can also find a few versions of this song (and related lullabies) at the library of congress/american memory site by typing in "all the pretty little horses" here .

I really like JL Goree's "Pretty Little Ponies". Note that each page that gives you the mp3 also tells you where to look in the field notes for more info and lyrics.

In the other thread, people talked about the origins of this song. Since then, I've been thinking that perhaps those origins (singer is listening to her own baby unattended) are only really for the lambie verse (and versions of the song containing it). Perhaps the lullaby already existed and was personalized with that expressive verse?

Wendy

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: heap of little horses
From: bob jr
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 01:48 AM

it is a nice one allan my grandmother taught me it when i was very young its like go to sleep (go to sleep) echo pattern the melody is very similar to all the pretty horses but the words are a little different if i knew how the tunes were added i think i could play it for you but maybe not the countermelody which is also lovely thanks all for your help so far

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: heap of little horses
From: GUEST,Wendy
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 02:11 AM

Don't know how to turn my cd recording into chords for you, but you can listen to a sample of Texas Gladden courtesy of Amazon.com here .

Subject: ADD: Whole Heap A' Litttle Horses
From: Stewie
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 05:52 AM

Here's the transcription from Vol 2 of Southern Journey:

WHOLE HEAP A LITTLE HORSES

Go to sleep, go to sleep
Go to sleep little baby
When you wake, get some cake
And ride them pretty little horses

Black and bay, sorrel and grey
Whole heap a' little horses
Black and bay, sorrel and grey
Whole heap a' little horses

Little old horse, little old cow
Ambling around the old hay mound
Little old horse he took a chew
Darned if I don't, said the old cow too

Repeat verses 1 and 2

Whispered: Shh …

Source: From the singing of Texas Gladden as recorded by Alan Lomax 26 August 1959 in Salem, Virginia. Various Artists: 'Southern Journey Vol 2: Ballads and Breakdowns – Songs from the Southern Mountains' Rounder CD 1702. Recording previously unissued.
PS.

Cheers, Stewie.

---

Elizabeth LaPrelle recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJK540_YnpI

Texas Gladden performance (Lomax): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8vqd_ipNYU

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: heap of little horses
From: bob jr
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 07:28 PM

well thanks again to you all i have peiced together the version i knew as a child the lyrics are close to the gladden version and the melody close to the version of all the pretty horses found in the mudcat library so here is the verions i learned as i now remeber it

go to sleep /go to sleep/go to sleep little baby when you awake/right away/all the pretty horses black and grey/sorrel and bay/whole heap of little horses black and bay/sorrel and grey/whole heap of little horses

that is the whole thing thanks for helping me remeber it

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Whole Heap of Little Horses
From: GUEST
Date: 18 May 23 - 06:01 AM

Whole Heap Of Little Horses    Traditional

Capo 3rd fret

(Am)
Go to sleep, (C)go to sleep,
(Dm)Go to sleep, you little (Am)baby.
When you wake, (C)get some cake,
(E)Ride them pretty little (Am)horses.
(C)    (Dm)    (Am)       (C)    (Dm)    (Am)   

Black and bay, (C)sorrel and gray,
(Dm)Whole heap of little (Am)horses.
Black and bay, (C)sorrel and gray,
(E)Whole heap of little (Am)horses.
(Dm) (E) (Am)    (Dm) (E) (Am)    (Dm) (E)
(Dm) (G) (E) (Am)       (E) (Am)    (Dm) (E)
(Am)    (Dm) (E) (Am) (G) (E) (Am)   

Little old horse, (C)little old cow,
(Dm)Amblin' around the (Am)old hay mow.
Little old horse, (C)he took a chew,
(E)Darned if I don't, said the (Am)old cow too.
(G) (F) (E) (Am) (G) (E) (Am)    (F) (E) (Am) (G) (E) (Am)

Go to sleep, (C)go to sleep,
(Dm)Go to sleep you little (Am)baby.
Black and a bay, (C)sorrel and a gray,
(E)Whole heap of little (Am)horses.

Go to sleep, (C)go to sleep,
(Dm)Go to sleep you little (Am)baby.
Black and a bay, (C)sorrel and a gray,
(E)Whole heap of little (Am)horses.

The Chieftains and Patty Griffin version.

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