Origins: Night Herding Song

Subject: Valentine Pringle Night Herding Song
From: GUEST,babypix
Date: 24 Jun 22 - 06:37 PM

Gentle Colleagues,

The estimable singer, Valentine Pringle, made an album in 1963 called, "I Hear America Singing", which included a version of "The Night Herding Song". I wonder if anyone has this album who might be able to share an audio file with me?

Recordially yours,
Deborah Robins

Subject: RE: Valentine Pringle Night Herding Song
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Jun 22 - 09:15 PM

Hmmm. There are lots of Valentine Pringle recordings on YouTube. This page had lyrics and a tantalizing sound excerpt:

https://www.harbel.one/lyrics/night_herding_song.htm



NIGHT HERDING SONG
(Harry Stephens)

Oh slow down, little dogies, quit your roving 'round
You've wandered and trampled all over the ground.
Oh graze along, dogies, and go kinda slow
And don't always be on the go,
Move slow, little dogies, move slow.

Lay still, little dogies, since you have laid down
Stretch away out on the big open ground.
Snore loud, little dogies, don´t mind the wild sound
It will go when the day rolls 'round,
Lay still, little dogies, lay still

Subject: RE: Valentine Pringle's Night Herding Song
From: GUEST,babypix
Date: 24 Jun 22 - 09:20 PM

Why, thank you, dear Joe! That would be the one. Just wanted to confirm which tune he was using, and that was enough to do so!

Warmest regards,
Deborah

Subject: ADD Night Herding Song (Harry Stephens)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Jun 22 - 09:22 PM

This page has a longer version, as sung by Don Edwards

http://cowboyfrank.net/real/albums/Don_Edwards/Saddle_Songs_Vol_1_Disc_1/NightHerdingSong.htm

NIGHT HERDING SONG
(Harry Stephens - as sung by Don Edwards)

Slow little doggies quit rovin' around
Wandered and trampled all over the ground
Graze along doggies, feed kinda slow
Don't forever be on the go
Move slow little doggies move slow

I've circle herded trail herded night herded too
To keep you together is what I can't do
My horse is leg weary and I'm awful tired
And if you get away I am sure to get fired
Bunch up little doggies bunch up

Lay still little doggies since you have laid down
Stretch away out on the big open ground
Snore loud little doggies and drown the wild sounds
That will all go away when day roles around
Lay still little doggies lay still

So little doggies quit rovin' around
You have wandered and trampled all over the ground
Graze along doggies, and feed kinda slow
Don't forever be on the go
Move slow little doggies move slow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGRGVYZo8Es

Subject: ADD: Night Herding Song
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Jun 22 - 09:39 PM

The earliest version of the song I could find was in Vol XIX, No 1 of The Sewanee Review from January, 1911. It's in an article titled Cowboy Songs of the Mexican Border, by John A. Lomax, page 15:

A short time ago a former freshman student of mine from Northern Arizona, now turned rover again, sent me some verses. Whether he wrote them himself or got them from some one else, I shall probably never know. There is in them a little of the deep solemnity, the poignant loneliness, the big, flat dreariness of our western plains; and they come from the heart of a real cowboy, speaking familiarly to his herd in the stillness of the night:

NIGHT HERDING SONG (from Lomax) (Harry Stephens, 1910) O, slow up, dogies. quit your roving round, You have wandered and tramped all over the ground, O, graze along dogies, and feed kinda slow, And don't forever be on the go,— O, move slow, dogies, move slow. I have circle-herded, trail-herded, and cross-herded, too. But to keep you together, that’s what I can't do. My horse is leg-weary and I am awful tired, But if I let you get away, I am sure to get fired,— Bunch up, little dogies, bunch up. O say, little dogies, when you going to lay down And quit this forever shifting around? My limbs are weary, my seat is sore: Oh, lay down, dogies, like you’ve laid down before,— Lay down, little dogies, lay down. Oh, lay still, dogies, since you have laid down, Stretch away out on the big open ground; Snore loud, little dogies, and drown the wild sound That will all go away when the day rolls around.— Lay still, little dogies, lay still.

NIGHT HERDING SONG (DT Lyrics) (Harry Stephens) Oh slow down, dogies, quit your roving 'round You've wandered and trampled all over the ground. Oh graze along, dogies, and feed kinda slow And don't be forever on the go, Move slow, dogies, move slow. I have circle-herded, trail-herded, night-herded too But to keep you together, that's what I can't do. My horse is leg-weary and I'm awful tired But if I let you get away I'm sure to get fired. Bunch up, litle dogies, bunch up. Oh say, little dogies, when you goin' to lay down? And quit this forever siftin' around? My limbs are weary, my seat is sore Oh, lay down, dogies, like you've laid before, Lay down, dogies, lay down. Oh, lay still, dogies, since you have laid down Stretch away on the big open ground. Snore loud, little dogies, and drown the wild sound That'll go away when the day rolls 'round, Lay still, dogies, lay still.

@cowboy @animal @work
filename[ NITEHERD
TUNE FILE: NITEHERD
CLICK TO PLAY
RG

Popup Midi Player

And here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry:

Night Herding Song

DESCRIPTION: The tired cowboy advises the herd, "O slow up, dogies, quit your roving around, You've wandered and trampled all over the ground." He tells how, whatever method he uses, he can never keep the cattle still. He again urges the cattle to relax
AUTHOR: Harry Stephens
EARLIEST DATE: 1910 (Lomax)
KEYWORDS: cowboy work animal request
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (13 citations):
Thorp/Logsdon-SongsOfTheCowboys, p. 108, "Night-Herding Song" (1 text)
Larkin-SingingCowboy, pp. 26-29, "Night Herding Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax/Lomax-OurSingingCountry, pp. 236-237, "(No title)" (1 text)
Lomax-FolkSongsOfNorthAmerica 193, "Night Herding Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fife/Fife-CowboyAndWesternSongs 82, "Night-Herding Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Saffel-CowboyPoetry, p. 214, "Night-Herding Song" (1 text)
Tinsley-HeWasSinginThisSong, pp. 16-19, "Night Herding Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Coleman/Bregman-SongsOfAmericanFolks, pp. 46-47, "The Night-Herding Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
GirlScouts-SingTogether, p. 91, "Night-Herding Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
GirlScout-PocketSongbook, p. 23, "Night-Herding Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
SongsOfManyNations, "Night Herding Song" (1 text, 1 tune) (CC edition, p. 34)
DT, NITEHERD*
ADDITIONAL: John I. White, _Git Along, Little Dogies: Songs and Songmakers of the American West_, 1975 (page references are to the 1989 University of Illinois Press edition), pp. 54-61, "Move Slow, Dogies, Move Slow" (1 text, 1 tune, plus various excerpts and a history of the song)
Roud #4444
RECORDINGS:
George Goebel, "Night Herding Song" (Conqueror 8157, 1933)
Harry Stephens, "The Night Herding Song" (AFS, 1940s; on LC28)
Marc Williams, "Night Herding Song" (Brunswick 497, c. 1931; on MakeMe)
File: LoF193

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