Lyr Add: Way Out West in Kansas

Subject: Lyr Add: WAY OUT WEST IN KANSAS
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 27 Oct 03 - 08:07 PM

WAY OUT WEST IN KANSAS

The sun's so hot that eggs will hatch
Way out west in Kansas,
It'll pop the corn in a popcorn patch
Way out west in Kansas.
An old mule coming down the path
Saw the corn and lost his breath,
He thought it was snow and froze to death,
Way out west in Kansas.

There's a man who loved his wife
Way out west in Kansas,
They must live a peaceful life
Way out west in Kansas.
There's a reason why each night
They hold each other's hands so tight,
If one turns loose it starts a fight,
Way out west in Kansas.

There's a gal in Abilene
Way out west in Kansas,
Says she's just turned seventeen
Way out west in Kansas.
But she's so old she's muscle-bound,
Folks all say she built the town,
For she's turned seventeen around,
Way out west in Kansas.

There's a man that grew so tall
Way out west in Kansas,
If he ever start to fall
He'd be out of Kansas.
He grew so tall, I do repeat,
He'd be as long as our main street,
But there's a lot turned down for feet,
Way out west in Kansas.

There's a man called Cross-eyed Pat,
Way out west in Kansas,
You can't tell who he's looking at
Way out west in Kansas.
He cried because he's such a wreck,
The tears ran down the back of his neck,
He don't look straight to me, by heck,
Way out west in Kansas.

A. E. and A. S. Fife, "Cowboy and Western Songs," 1969 (1982), no. 32, pp. 96-97, "In Kansas." Text from Hendren.

The Fifes' believed that this song was developed from "In Kansas-In Mobile," thread 63874: In Mobile In Kansas
Jerry Rasmussen posted several verses in thread 40362 (21 Oct 01) but this will put the song together in a form that can be harvested. Popcorn patch

Subject: Lyr Add: WAY OUT WEST IN KANSAS (Carson Robison)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 27 Oct 03 - 08:18 PM

WAY OUT WEST IN KANSAS (2)
Carson Robison, 1924

There's a place where the birds sing bass
Rabbits laugh in a bulldog's face
Trains don't stop at my home town
'Cause woodpeckers knocked the depot down

There the girls grow tall and slim,
The boys grow whiskers on their chin,
Their ears grow out and their toes turn in,
Out in that western town.

Folks don't stay out very late
Way out west in Kansas,
They take the sidewalks in at eight
Way out west in Kansas.

It's some town by heck, I'll swear,
You can stand in the old town square
And knock on ev..er...y front door
Way out west in Kansas.

With midi, from http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/wayout.htm

Subject: RE: WAY OUT WEST IN KANSAS
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 27 Oct 03 - 10:00 PM

Ah, you've brought back memories of my youth! My grandparents (in an apartment above whose house my mother and brother and I lived) had an old Edison gramophone. It stood up on four legs, and was about four and a half feet long, and two and a half feet high, with record bins on each end and the player in the middle third. It was a stiff crank to wind it up. It must have been a really ambitious luxury purchase for them when they bought it.

The records (quite a collection of them) were a quarter, maybe three-eighths inch thick, and heav-vy! Way Out West in Kansas (the first one given above) was one I remember well. There was also Ramona, Red Sails in the Sunset, the Prisoner's Song, Hard Hearted Hannah, and Oh, How I Wisht I Was In Peoria! Down in the Valley, I believe. A couple of comedy talk records by an act called The Two Black Crows. Very un-PC today, but seemed pretty funny then. And lots more that don't come to mind at the moment. Oh, yes, The Letter Edged in Black. I loved the old tear-jerkers. Still do, as a matter of fact.

Thanx for directing me down memory lane.


Dave Oesterreich

Subject: Way Out West in Kansas
From: Peace
Date: 24 Dec 04 - 12:31 AM

1924, Oct. 22                        

New York: Art was contacted by Frank Walker of Columbia Records, signed a contract as an Exclusive Artist and made two records for Columbia. Art credited Frank Walker for his advice during his career with Columbia.                                                   
                                                                140113-1 Way Out West In Kansas (2 takes) (acoustic)
                                                                      (Carson Robison)                                                             Col 238-D

This is from

lwhisper.home.mindspring.com/ArtGillham_1924-1925.htm

or google

1924, May 2

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Way Out West in Kansas
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Dec 04 - 12:55 AM

There was an inquiry about this in another thread (click). Looks like Q has posted most of what's available on this song. Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry:

Way Out West in Kansas

DESCRIPTION: Complaints about life "Way out west in Kansas": "The sun's so hot the eggs will hatch... It'll pop the corn in a popcorn patch." The people are prone to fighting and often physically peculiar; the lack of amusements makes for a boring life
AUTHOR: Carson Robison
EARLIEST DATE: 1924 (recording, Billy Murray & Ed. Smalle)
KEYWORDS: home family
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Fife-Cowboy/West 32, "In Kansas" (2 texts, 1 tune, the "B" text being this piece while the "A" text is "In Kansas")
Roud #4455
RECORDINGS:
Vernon Dalhart & Co. "Way Out West in Kansas" (Edison 51459, 1925)
Art Gilliam (The Whispering Pianist), "Way Out West in Kansas" (Columbia 238-D, 1924)
Billy Murray & Ed. Smalle "Way Out West in Kansas" (Victor 19442, 1924)
Anna Underhill, "Away Out West in Kansas" (on FineTimes)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "In Kansas" (theme)
Notes: There's a Gene Autry recording, "'Way Out West in Texas" (Conqueror 8193, 1933; Conqueror 9513, 1940) which is probably the same song, but as I haven't heard it I'm putting it here as a note instead of adding it to the official recordings list. - PJS
File: FCW032B

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