Lyr Add: The Trail Herd

Subject: Lyr Add: The Trail Herd
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 Aug 14 - 07:54 PM

THE TRAIL HERD
Hendron 439 MS.

Clouded sun on coolin' morn,
Squeakin' taps and spurs a-rattle,
Loungin' 'cross my saddle horn,
Trailin' dull-eyed bawlin' cattle.
Chokin' dust clouds in the air,
Off across the range a-driftin',
Punchers cussin' stragglers there
As the mornin' mist is liftin'.

Wild-eyed mavericks on the prod,
Plungin' ponies, buckin', snortin',
On across the sun-baked sod
Full o' ginger, a-cavortin',
Ol' chuck wagon on ahead
Fer to get the grub pile ready,
Sun a-blazin' fiery red,
Calves a-wobblin' or unsteady.

Summer day a-growin' old
As the crimson sun is sinkin',
River sparklin' just like gold
Where the thirsty herd is drinkin'.
Cook a-yellin', "Grub pile, boys!"
Cups on ol' tin plates a-rattle,
Punchers makin' lots o' noise
On the bed ground with the cattle.

Silence on the midnight air,
Me on night herd slowly moggin'
Round the bedded cattle there,
Singin' to 'em as I'm joggin'.
Camp fire twinklin' down below,
River sort o' lullabyin'
To the sleepers soft and low
On their blanket beds a-lyin'.

Second watch a-rollin' out,
Sleepy-eyed with grimy faces,
At the foreman's lusty shout.
Saddlin' up to take our places.
Me a-drowsin' off to rest
With the starry sky above me,
Thoughts of you within my breast,
Dreamin', dreamin' that you love me.


Poetic thoughts about the drive, author unknown.

From the Hendron Collection, seven volumes of manuscript, Stella M. Hendron, Kooskia, Idaho.

Pages 145-146,
Austin and Alta Fife, 1970, "Ballads of the Great West," American West Publishing Company, Palo Alto, CA

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Trail Herd
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Aug 14 - 08:58 PM

This book just has lyrics, no musical notation. I really like this piece. Usually, I'm really bugged by the use of an apostrophe instead of the final letter of words, but I guess it fits here.
It reminds me of the movie A Mighty Wind - the group that resembled the Kingston Trio had albums titled "Singin'" and "Playin'" and "Dancin'" - or the like.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Trail Herd
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Aug 14 - 12:47 PM

I haven't found any information about the poem. It must have been printed somewhere.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Trail Herd
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 18 Aug 14 - 12:26 PM

Thanks, Q. That's a good lyric.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Trail Herd
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Aug 14 - 12:33 PM

Shouldn't be too hard to put it to a singable tune.

(My W7 spell check doesn't like singable, but Google shows frequent use)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Trail Herd
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 18 Aug 14 - 08:44 PM

I'll give it a try.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Trail Herd
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 Aug 14 - 10:41 AM

It's morning, and I just produced a tune. I'll send the MIDI to Joe, so you can hear it. Actually, I'll send two MIDI's to Joe, one in G for high voices and one in E for lower.

I've modified the words. I felt the poem was too long, and also, the 'voice' wasn't quite right. Sometimes the narrator sounds like a simple cowpoke, sometimes like an arty type. I tried to handle that better. Now it has three verses.

When I type music, I use the hyphens to show how to sing it. Thus, while most people would type "strag-glers," I type "stragg-lers."

Here are the lyrics to go with the tune - when it shows up.

Clou-dy sun on cool-in' morn,
squea-kin' chaps and spurs a-rat-tle.
Loun-gin' 'cross my sad-dle horn,
trai-lin' dull-eyed baw-lin' cat-tle.
Cho-kin' dust clouds in the air,
Off a-cross the range a-drif-tin'.
Pun-chers cus-sin' stragg-lers there
as the morn-in' mist is lif-tin'.

Wild-eyed mav-ricks on the prod,
plun-gin' po-nies, buc-kin', snor-tin',
all a-cross the sun-baked sod,
full o' gin-ger, all ca-vor-tin'.
Sum-mer day a-grow-in' old
as the crim-son sun is sin-kin'.
Ri-ver spar-klin' just like gold
where the thir-sty herd is drin-kin'.

Camp fire twink-lin' down be-low,
ri-ver sort o' lul-la-by-in'
to the sleep-ers soft and low
on their blan-ket beds a-ly-in'.
Me, a-drow-sin' off to rest
with the star-ry sky a-bove me.
Thoughts of you are in my breast,
dream-in', dream-in' that you love me.

Click to play (joeweb) (in the Key of E)

Click to play (joeweb) (in the Key of G)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Trail Herd
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 22 Aug 14 - 10:07 PM

It's from Trail Dust of a Maverick: Verses of Cowboy Life, the Cattle Range and Desert by Earl Alonzo Brininstool (Los Angeles: E. A. Brininstool, 1921), page 77.

Ain't Google grand?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Trail Herd
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 Aug 14 - 12:10 PM

Thanks for the reference. The book has been through several editions- 1914, 1921, 1926 and recent ebook, paperbacks and hardcover.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Trail Herd
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Aug 14 - 02:29 AM

We were delayed a bit by technical difficulties, but here is the tune Leeneia composed for "The Trail Herd."

Click to play (joeweb) (in the Key of E)

Click to play (joeweb) (in the Key of G)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Trail Herd
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 24 Aug 14 - 05:18 PM

Thanks, Joe.