happy? - Oct 17 (Texas Rangers)

Subject: happy? - Oct 17 (Texas Rangers)
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Oct 05 - 09:11 AM

The Texas Rangers were established on 10/17/1835 (or 11/24)

             (Twas at the age of 16 I joined this jolly band.)
  
          3. I saw the Injuns coming, I heard them give a yell,
             My feelings at this moment no human tongue can tell,
             I saw their glittering lances and their arrows 'round me flew,
             And all my strength it left me and all my courage too.
  
          4. We fought full nine hours before the strife was o'er,
             The like of dead & wounded I never saw before,
             And when the sun was rising & the Indians they had fled,
             We loaded up our rifles and counted up our dead.
  
                  "Texas Rangers," Lomax, in FSNA

Copyright © 2005, Abby Sale - all rights reserved
What are Happy's all about?    See Notes and Index

Subject: RE: happy? - Oct 17 (Texas Rangers)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Oct 05 - 10:37 AM

Texas Rangers

Gregorio Cortez

Subject: RE: happy? - Oct 17 (Texas Rangers)
From: Scotus
Date: 17 Oct 05 - 02:04 PM

Heard this wonderful story from Sara Grey a few years ago:

Apparently when Jean Ritchie was traveling in the UK on a scholarship in the 1950s to visit and listen to trad singers there -

She sang the Texas Rangers to Jane Turriff (or maybe it was Lucy Stewart) and Jane/Lucy was greatly impressed. However she misconstrued a couple of fairly vital things. She thought that the Indians mentioned were natives of India and that the Rangers, therefor, were an obscure branch of the British Army deployed in the North West Frontier. She learned the song then decided that it was missing something, so she added an extra verse on the end warning the Rangers to beware of the tigers. I believe that she recorded her version!

Ah - the folk process.

Cheers, Jack

Subject: RE: happy? - Oct 17 (Texas Rangers)
From: Peace
Date: 17 Oct 05 - 02:20 PM

Reality from way back then also impacted our own 'folk mythology'. One of the more 20th Century 'popular' heroes resulted from the Texas Rangers. (It also included a stereotyped Indian (Native North American). For your reading enjoyment.

Subject: RE: happy? - Oct 17 (Texas Rangers)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Oct 05 - 07:36 PM

Several songs about the 'Texas Rangers,' concern Rangers units in the Civil War, and were composed during the War. They have nothing to do with the 'one riot, one ranger' force. The military Ranger songs include "Terry's Texas Rangers" (Eighth Texas Cavalry), "The Texas Ranger" by Carpenter, "The Ranger's Farewell," "The Rangers Lay" by Wilson, "Song of the Texas Rangers" by Young, "The Texan Rangers" (1861), and others (see "Allan's Lone Star Ballads," 1874).

"The Frontier Ranger" by Smith (in the Second Rangers during the Civil War), mostly concerns the peace-keepers, and "The Texas Ranger" by Kennedy (1836), are two about the Indian fighters and peace-keepers. During the Civil War, Texas Rangers enlisted in various units (link by SRS to the Handbook of Texas). "Corrido de los Rangers" (Brownsville and Rangers, 1912), and "Corrido de las Elecciones de Brownsville," both at American Memory, in addition to "Gregorio Cortez," linked by SRS, are 20th c. songs concerning the Rangers.

"The Texas Rangers," Lomax FSNA, possibly is a music hall song. In its various forms, the enemies are Indians, Yankees, or Mexicans. The Yankees, perhaps, were the first subject since the song appeared just after the Civil War and may have been written near its start.

Subject: RE: happy? - Oct 17 (Texas Rangers)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Oct 05 - 02:32 PM

Subject: RE: happy? - Oct 17 (Texas Rangers)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Oct 05 - 02:39 PM

Can't open your link, Bruce.

Subject: RE: happy? - Oct 17 (Texas Rangers)
From: Peace
Date: 18 Oct 05 - 02:47 PM

My apologies. I did check it before I posted, but it seems not to work for me now either.

Google

Heroes of Texas Fiction

Then use the cached feature. It will bring up the 'story' of the Lone Ranger. Sorry for all the hassle.