Lyr ADD: When I Was a Cowboy (Leadbelly)

Subject: RE: When I was a cowboy
From: alison
Date: 08 Dec 97 - 08:27 PM

Hi Joe,

It worked all right for me. I'm listening to the tune now. I've got the music in front of me too.

Slainte

Alison

Subject: Tune Add: WHEN I WAS A COWBOY
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Dec 97 - 07:13 PM

Oops! It doesn't work. The error message says "expected string [MThd] was not found. What did I do wrong, Alan? I'm going to try once more here.

MIDI file: WHENIW~1.MID

Timebase: 192

Text: When I Was A Cowboy
Copyright: Copyright © 1995 All Rights Reserved
TimeSig: 2/4 24 8
Key: F
Name: Unnamed-000
Start
0000 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 79 050 0142 0 79 000 0002 1 81 050 0046 0 81 000 0002 1 79 050 0094 0 79 000 0002 1 77 050 0094 0 77 000 0002 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 77 050 0192 0 77 000 0000 1 77 050 0094 0 77 000 0002 1 74 050 0142 0 74 000 0002 1 72 050 0046 0 72 000 0002 1 74 050 0286 0 74 000 0002 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 79 050 0142 0 79 000 0002 1 81 050 0046 0 81 000 0002 1 79 050 0094 0 79 000 0002 1 77 050 0094 0 77 000 0002 1 74 050 0190 0 74 000 0002 1 74 050 0192 0 74 000 0000 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 74 050 0142 0 74 000 0002 1 69 050 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 67 050 0286 0 67 000 0002 1 70 050 0046 0 70 000 0002 1 70 050 0046 0 70 000 0002 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 70 050 0094 0 70 000 0002 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 67 050 0094 0 67 000 0098 1 67 050 0046 0 67 000 0002 1 67 050 0046 0 67 000 0002 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 70 050 0094 0 70 000 0002 1 74 050 0142 0 74 000 0002 1 70 050 0046 0 70 000 0002 1 67 050 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 67 050 0046 0 67 000 0002 1 67 050 0046 0 67 000 0002 1 72 050 0094 0 72 000 0002 1 72 050 0190 0 72 000 0002 1 67 050 0046 0 67 000 0002 1 67 050 0046 0 67 000 0002 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 74 050 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 74 050 0046 0 74 000 0002 1 72 050 0046 0 72 000 0002 1 69 050 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 69 050 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 67 050 0286 0 67 000
End

To download the November 10 MIDItext 97 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:Unnamed-000
M:2/4
Q:1/4=
K:F
d2d2d2g2|-gag2f2d2|d2f4f2|d3cd4|-d2d2d2d2|
g3ag2f2|d4d4|d2d3AG2|-G4BBd2|B2d2G2z2|GGd2B2d2|
-dBG2GGc2|c4GGd2|d2dcAAG2|-G4||

Subject: RE: When I was a cowboy
From: Dale Rose
Date: 06 Dec 97 - 01:32 PM

There is a good recorded version of The Sporting Cowboy by Watts & Wilson on When I Was A Cowboy, Vol. 1,Yazoo 2022, 1996. The album title comes from the first line of that particular song, which is in the database, as Joe mentions above. The CD contains twenty-three cowboy classics from the 20's and 30s.

Subject: RE: When I was a cowboy
From:
Date: 05 Dec 97 - 10:23 PM

Thanks Joe.

That is the song I was after. I haven't really listened to folk music since the 60s when there was a good folk station in Phila. Since they could be relied upon to play the good stuff consistently, I never built up a record collection. Now I think I will start up a CD collection-- not an easy task here in Australia.

Murray

Subject: Lyr Add: WHEN I WAS A COWBOY (from Lead Belly)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Dec 97 - 10:12 PM

WHEN I WAS A COWBOY
(as sung by Lead Belly)

When I was a cowboy, way out on de Western Plains,
When I was a cowboy, way out on de Western Plains,
I made a million dollars pullin’ de bridle reins.

refrain:
Coma-cow-cow, coma-cow-cow, yicky-yicky-yea.

Oh, de hardes’ battle was ever on a Bunker Hill,
When we an’ a bunch o’ cowboys run into Buffalo Bill.

Oh, de hardes’ battle was ever on-a Western plains,
When me an’ a bunch o’ cowboys run into Jesse James.

When me an’ a bunch o’ cowboys run into Jesse James.
De bullets was a-fallin’ jes’ like a shower rain.

Coma-cow-cow, coma-cow-cow, yicky-yicky-yea.

(from "American Ballads and Folk Songs," John and Alan Lomax)

No Odi, Hart, and Spanner, Murray, but I think this is the song you're looking for. If you search the database with brackets for [when I was a cowboy], you should find two songs that start with that line, but they're two versions of a song called "Dallas County Jail." Hope this one does the trick for you, Murray.
-Joe Offer-

Coma-cow-cow, coma-cow-cow, yicky-yicky-yea

Subject: When I was a cowboy
From:
Date: 05 Dec 97 - 09:15 PM

I understand most of the works in Leadbelly's "When I Was a Cowboy", but I can't make out the following:

xxxxxxx were you ever on the western plains (repeated)// when me and a bunch of cowboys ran into Jessie James.

The xxxxxxx sounds like Odi, Hart, and Spanner. Hart was a western movie hero of the time. I wonder if he is addressing three cowboy heros.

Thanks for any info.

By the way: I couldn't find the song in the database.

Murray