The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #3314   Message #4102750
Posted By: Joe Offer
19-Apr-21 - 07:44 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Geronimo's Cadillac (Quarto/Murphey)
Subject: ADD: Geronimo's Cadillac (Murphey/Quarto)
As one would expect of Roger Himler, he did a good job above of transcribing the lyrics from the Rise Up Singing Songbook, which appears to be a transcription of Michael Martin Murphey's 1984 recording. The main difference is in the order of the couplets in the first verse - on the songwriter's 1972 recording, the order is: Sergeant, Warden, Governor. This my transcription from the 1972 recording by the songwriter, Michael Martin Murphey

GERONIMO'S CADILLAC (1972)
(Charles Quarto and Michael Martin Murphey)

They put Geronimo in jail down south,
Where he couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Sergeant, Sergeant, don't you feel,
There's something wrong with your automobile?
Warden, Warden, listen to me:
Be brave and set Geronimo free.
Governor, Governor, isn't it strange,
You never see a car on the Indian range?
CHORUS:
Whoa, boys, take me back,
I wanna ride in Geronimo's cadillac (X4)

Warden, Warden, don't you know,
The prisoners ain't got no place to go?
They took old Geronimo by storm,
They took the feathers from his uniform.
Jesus told me and I believe it's true,
The red men are in the sunset, too.
They stole their land and they won't give it back,
And they sent Geronimo a Cadillac.
CHORUS (4 times)

By Charles Quarto and Michael Martin Murphey.



Recording by Michael Martin Murphey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJWh1F9SkiE - 4:38 minutes (I think this is the original 1972 recording)

1984 recording by Michael Martin Murphey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlGt5RzZ-N4 - 5:26 minutes.

Hoyt Axton recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hQibx6FDRU