|
24 Aug 14 - 07:48 PM (#3653678) Subject: Lyr Add: The Grand Round-up From: Q (Frank Staplin) THE GRAND ROUND-UP (Cowboy's Sweet By and By) Versions and variations; Related songs. Lyr. Add: LAST ROUND-UP (James) W. S. James, 1893, "Cowboy Life in Texas" When I think of the last great round-up On the eve of Eternity's dawn, I think of the host of cowboys Who have been with us here and have gone. And I wonder if any will greet me On the sands of the evergreen shore; With a hearty "God bless you, old fellow," That I've met with so often before. I think of the big-hearted fellows Who will divide with you blanket and bread, With a piece of stray beef well roasted, And charge for it never a "red." I often look upward and wonder, If the green fields will seem half so fair; If any the wrong trail have taken And fail to "be in" over there. For the trail that leads down to perdition Is paved all the way with good deeds; But in the great round-up of ages, Dear boys, this won't answer your needs. But the way to green pastures, though narrow, Leads straight to the home in the sky; And Jesus will give you the passports To the land of the sweet by and by. For the Savior has taken the contract To deliver all those who believe, At the headquarters ranch of His Father, In the great range where none can deceive. The Inspector will stand at the gate-way, And the herd, one by one, must go by; The round-up by the angels of judgment Must pass 'neath His all-searching eye. No maverick or slick will be tallied In the great Book of Life in His home, For He knows all the brands and the earmarks That down through the ages have come. But along with the strays and the sleepers The tailings must turn from the gate; No road brand to gain them admission, But the awful sad cry "Too late." For the trail that leads down to perdition Is paved all the way with good deeds; But in the great round-up of ages, Dear boys, this won't answer your needs. But the way to green pastures, though narrow, Leads straight to the home in the sky; And Jesus will give you the passports To the land of the sweet by and by. In his 1921 volume, Thorp quotes the song, "THE GREAT ROUND-UP," as heard from Sally White, of Toyah, Texas, in 1909 (almost a ghost town; near Pecos, TX). Instead of repeating the third verse at the end as James did, she sang: Yet I trust in the last great round-up, When the rider shall cut the big herd, That the cowboys shall be represented In the earmark and brand of the Lord; To be shipped to the bright mystic regions Over there in the green pastures to lie, And led by the crystal clear waters, In that home of the sweet by and by. Versions go by various names; "The Cowboy's Dream," "The Cowboy's Vision," etc.; authorship questionable (attributed to J. W. Benham , Arizona Graphic, 1 p. 8, Nov. 4, 1889) or to others (J. Frank Dobie's father heard it as "COWBOY'S SWEET BY AND BY" in the 1880s, he quit trail-driving in the 1880s). In any case, several poets had a hand in the song. Fife and Fife comment "Origin, authorship, and dissemination of "THE GRAND ROUND-UP" are an intricate web of claim and counterclaim....." "We may be dealing here with two songs, although their mood, melody, and content are intertwined." A version in the DT, "The Cowboy's Dream," incorrectly attributed to D. J. (Kid) O'Malley (he claimed he published 4-5 rough verses in the Stock Growers Journal (1884-1908), as "Sweet By and By Revised" in the mid-1880s. O'Malley credited another puncher, Tam Phelps (Fife and Fife, p. 74), with the idea for the verses. Both "Red River Valley" and "My Bonnie" were used as tunes. I have not checked the Stock Growers Journal for O'Malley's claim; it is cited neither in White nor Fife and Fife. According to the website Cowboy Poetry, O'Malley's verses are: SWEET BY AND BY REVISED Tonight as I lay on the prairie Looking up at the stars in the sky I wonder if ever a cowboy Will go to that sweet by and by. For the trail to that bright mystic region Is both dim and narrow, so they say While the broad one that leads to perdition Is posted and blazed all the way. Now I wonder whose fault that so many Will be lost at the great final day When they might have been rich and had plenty If they had known of the dim narrow way. I hear there will be a grand round-up, When the cowboys, like others, will stand To be cut by the riders of judgment Who are posted and know every brand. Then perhaps there may be a stray cowboy, Unbranded, unclaimed by none nigh, To be mavericked by the riders of judgment, And shipped to the sweet by- and- by. http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/cowboysongs/sweetbyandbyrevised.htm Will Croft Barnes said he first heard "Cowboy's Sweet By and By" in 1886-1887; with revisions he used the song in his story, "The Stampede on the Turkey Track Range," The Cosmopolitan,, 1895. He said that he added the "Roll On" chorus (John I. White, Ch. 6, Will Barnes and "The Cowboy's Sweet By and By," pp. 62-72) but didn't use it in the story. The usual tune is "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean." Lines in verses that suggest the hymn, "In the Sweet By and By," (See DT, mis-spelled Bye); 1868, appear in some versions. Lyr. Add: THE COWBOY'S SWEET BY AND BY (Verses from Will Croft Barnes, 1895) Tune- My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean Last night as I lay on the prairie And gazed at the stars in the sky I wondered if ever a cowboy Would drift to that sweet by and by. The trail to that bright, mystic region Is narrow and dim so they say, But the one that leads down to perdition Is staked and blazed all the way. They say there'll be a great round-up, Where cowboys, like dogies, will stand, To be cut by those riders from Heaven, Who are posted and know every brand. I wonder was there ever a cowboy Prepared for that great judgment day, Who could say to the boss of the riders, I am ready to be driven away. They say He will never forsake you, That he notes every action and look, But for safety you'd better get branded, And have your name in His great tally-book. For they tell of another great owner Who is nigh overstocked, so they say, But who always makes room for the sinner Who strays from that bright, narrow way. First heard by Barnes in 1886-1887 in Arizona, verses picked up and re-written. Published in Cosmopolitan Magazine, August 1895; "The Stampede on the Turkey Track Range.". Barnes wrote a chorus, which was not used in the story: Roll on, roll on, roll on, little dogies, roll on. Roll on, roll on, roll on little dogies, roll on. Some stray verses, various sources, from composites in Fife and Fife. I wonder if at the last day some cow-boy Un-branded and un-claimed should stand To be mavericked by the Riders of Judgment Who are posted and know every brand. I wonder if ever a cowboy Stood ready for that Judgment Day And could say to the Boss of the Riders, "I'm ready, come drive me away." On that final day of judgment When the range boss cuts out the strays Will he leave any hard shooting gunmen To go to that straight narrow way. Oh, they say that the Boss is a-coming To rope and to brand and to earmark And will take all the cuts back to judgment To be registered in His great tally book. Sharlot Hall (1908) wrote a version using essentially the first four verses of Barnes and adding five more; under the heading "The Cowboy's Sweet By and By." 5 For they, like the cows that are locoed, Stampede at the sight of a hand Are dragged with a rope to the round-up Or get marked with some crooked man's brand. 6 I know there's many a stray cowboy Who'll be lost at that great final sale, When he might have gone in to green pasture If he'd heard of that bright mystic trail. 7 And I'm scared that I'll be a stray yearling- A maverick, unbranded on high, Who'll be cut by the riders of judgment And shipped to the sweet by and by. 8 For they tell of another big owner Who's ne'er over-stocked, so they say But who always makes room for the sinner Who drifts from the straight narrow way. 9 And they say he will never forget you That he knows every action and look; So for safety you'd better get branded- Have your name in his big Talley Book. (One must take care not to be "siwashed" at the great judgment; cowboy term for "blackballed.") Lyr. Add: GRAND ROUND-UP (Thorp 1908) N. Howard Thorp, 1908 I hear there's to be a grand round-up Where cow-boys with others must stand To be cut out by the riders of judgment Who are posted and know all the brands. The trail to that great mystic region Is narrow and dim so they say While the one that leads down to perdition Is posted and blazed all the way. Whose fault is it then that so many Go astray on this wild range and fall Who might have been rich and had plenty Had they known of the dim narrow trail. I wonder if at the last day some cow-boy Un-branded and un-claimed should stand Would he be mavericked by those riders of judgment Who are posted and know all the brands? My wish for all cow-boys is this That we may meet at that grand final sale Be cut out by the riders of judgment And shoved up the dim narrow trail (Repeat last two lines of each stanza.) Air- Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean P. 19; Songs of the Cowboys, 1908, N. Howard Thorp, News Print Shop, Estancia, New Mexico. Lyr. Add: THE COWBOY'S VISION Mrs. M. N. Perkins, in letter to J. Frank Dobie, 1930 Last night as I lay on the prairie, Looking up to the stars in the sky, I wonder if ever a cowboy Would get to that Sweet bye and bye. 2 Oh yes there will be a great roundup Where cowboys like cattle will stand To be "cut" by the Rider of Judgment, Who is posted and knows every brand. Refrain Bring back, bring back, Oh bring back my cowboy to me. Bring back, bring back, Oh bring back my cowboy to me. 3 The canyons and gorges are many And "dogies" go often astray But the pale horsed rider will gather Everyone to that great judgment day. 4 In the day of that great final judgment, When we all come around the white throne, How happy will be every cowboy, To whom the Lord sayeth "Well done." 5 How sad, as we come to that roundup If our hearts do not have the right brand, For no "maverick" or "stray" in the judgment Will ever be able to stand. 6 Then my brother, let's come to the branding Our owner is calling today If he touches and blesses and owns you You'll be glad in that great judgment day. (Version from Fife and Fife, 1966) Lyr. Add: HOME CORRAL Hendren 46; Coll. Stella M. Hendron. Sometimes when on night guard I'm riding And the stars are a gleam in the sky Like millions of wee little candles That glimmer and sparkle on high. I wonder if up there among them Are streets that are shining with gold And if it's as pretty a country As all the *Sky Pilots have told. And sometimes I wonder and wonder If over that lone great divide I'll meet with my pals who have journeyed Across to that dim other side. If ever the great starry ranges Someday in the future I too Shall ride on a heavenly broncho When earth's final roundup is thru. They tell us no storms nor blizzards Blow over the moon scattered range That is always and always like summer A land where there's never a change. At night when I lay in my blanket And the stars would cast over me a spell I seem to look on the glories That lie in that Great Home Corral. *Sky Pilot- preacher. P. 78 , Fife and Fife, 1966, Songs of the Cowboys. Lyr. Add: WHEN IT'S ROUNDUP TIME IN HEAVEN Jimmie Davis, 1938 Oh they tell me of a place and they tell me of a day Where the saints shall be gathered to stay They shall come from the east, they shall come from the west When we gather on that roundup day. When it's roundup time in heaven And our troubles on earth are o'er All the friends that death has severed Shall gather on that golden shore. 'Twill be sweet when we meet at Jesus' feet With no heartaches, no pains, no sigh When they comb heaven's plains will they find your name At the great roundup in the sky. Dear loved ones have I and perhaps have you Who have recently gone on that way But the time now is short for them and for me Till we gather on that roundup day. www.classic-country-song-lyrics.com BASIC REFERENCES "Songs of the Cowboys," 1966, N. Howard (Jack) Thorp; Variants, Commentary, Notes and Lexicon, by Austin E. and Alta S. Fife. Clarkson N. Potter Inc., Publisher. New York. (J. Frank Dobie, 1927, "Ballads and Songs of the Frontier Folk," PTFLS VI) (James, W. S., 1893, "Cowboy Life in Texas, or 27 Years a Maverick.") (N. Howard Thorp, 1908, Songs of the Cowboys (facsimile). N. Howard Thorp, 1908, Songs of the Cowboys; News Print Shop, Estancia, New Mexico. N. Howard Thorp, 1921, Songs of the Cowboys, Houghton Mifflin, new edition 1984, foreward by Guy Logsden; University of Nebraska Press. Gardner, Mark L., 2005, Jack Thorp's Songs of the Cowboys, with CD including "Grand Round-up" sung by M. L. Gardner and Rex Rideout; Museum of New Mexico Press. (Selected songs only). Hall, Sharlot, 1908, "Songs of the Old Cattle Trails," Out West, March 1908. (Excerpts in White, John I.) White, John I., 1975, Git Along, Little Dogies, Songs and Songmakers of the American West; University of Illinois Press. |
|
25 Aug 14 - 04:29 AM (#3653769) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Grand Round-up From: GUEST,# Just noticed that "Songs of the Cowboys" can be read online. https://archive.org/details/songscowboys01thorgoog |
|
10 Mar 23 - 12:18 PM (#4167258) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Grand Round-up From: Lighter "Wichita Daily Eagle," Apr. 23, 1890: "A piece of poetry has appeared at Stillwater entitled 'We shall never see our cabins any more, by the author of 'Last Night as I lay on the Prairie.' ************************************* "New York Herald," Apr. 24, 1892: "Queer Things Found in the Dead Letter Office... "An interesting Western effort was recently received:-- To-night I lay out on the prairie, And look at that bright sky; I wonder if ever a cowboy Would drift to that sweet by-and-by." ************************************ "The Daily New Mexican" (Santa Fe), March 4, 1894: "The following pretty little bit of genre was written by Mr. John L. Zimmerman, and set to music by Mr. Fred W. Joyce, both formerly of Las Vegas and Roswell, and is dedicated to the Hon. Ernest Meyers, representative of Bernalillo county in the last legislature: THE COWBOY'S HYMN. (Copyrighted by the Author.) Last night as I lay on the prairie Looking up at the stars in the sky, I wondered if ever a cowboy Would go there in the sweet by and by. The trail to that dim, mystic region Is both narrow and dim, they say, But the broad one that leads to perdition Is posted and blazed all the way. I wondered whose fault that so many Were lost at the great final sale, When they might have been rich and had plenty Had they known of this dim narrow trail. I have heard there will be a great round-up, When the cowboy, with others, will stand, To be cut by the rider of judgment, Who is posted and knows every brand. Then perhaps there may be a young cowboy, Unbranded, unclaimed, and denied, To be mavericked by the rider of judgment And shipped to the sweet by and by. ************************************** Lomax & Lomax, Cowboy Songs (1938): “The song was a favorite of the Texas evangelist, Rev. Abe Mulkey, when urging the cowboys to ‘come up to the mourners’ bench’ at the frontier camp meetings. "I.P. Skinner, of Athens, Texas, surmises: ‘Charley Hart, of Carollton, Miss., was under the necessity of living (incognito) on the Black Ranch in Clay County, Texas, soon after the war. He found surcease of sorrow in writing, and composed this song, I think in 1873, with the title, ‘Drift to That Sweet By-and-By.’” |
|
10 Mar 23 - 02:21 PM (#4167273) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Grand Round-up From: Lighter According to contemporaneous newspapers, the Methodist Rev. Mulkey, of Corsicana, Tex., became a prominent Texas evangelist in the late 1880s. "The New Era" (South Haven, Kans.), Sept. 5, 1891, quoting the Caldwell Journal: THE FINAL ROUND-UP On the body of Charles Bryant, who was killed Sunday night by Ed Short, was found a prescription, $18 in money and in his pocket of his shirt was the following piece of poetry which he probably composed: Last night as I laid on the prairie Looking up at the stars in the sky, I wondered if ever a cowboy Would drift to that Sweet Bye Bye. Oh, the trail to that bright, mystic region Is narrow and dim, so they say, But the one which leads to perdition Is posted and blazed all the way. Oh, they say there will be a grand “round-up,” And the cowboys, like others, will stand, To be “cut” by the riders of judgment, Who are posted and know every brand. I wonder if there will be many, Who will be at the great final sale, Who might have been rich and had plenty Had they known of that dim, narrow trail. When the Judge gets down his old brand-books, Piled high as your head in a stack, I am afraid that the final decision will be: “O, cowboys, you stand a poor hack.” But I hope there will be some stray cowboys, Unbranded and claimed by none nigh, Who will be mavericked by the riders of Judgment And shipped to that Sweet Bye and Bye.” |
|
10 Mar 23 - 02:38 PM (#4167275) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Grand Round-up From: Lighter Stanza 1: "Sweet Bye and Bye." |
|
16 Mar 23 - 02:22 PM (#4167730) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Grand Round-up From: Rex Thank you Lighter for adding more to the Grand Round-up story. This article from Kansas about the unfortunate Charles Bryant may be the earliest example of the song in print. I will keep this with the above compilation created by our dear departed Frank Staplin. |
|
16 Mar 23 - 02:33 PM (#4167733) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Grand Round-up From: Steve Gardham Have we got an earliest date for 'My Bonnie'? If these pieces are based on 'My Bonnie' then it's unlikely they can be older than that. 'My Bonnie (text) is based on the 1860s English song 'Send back my Barney to me'. The clincher is the first line 'Last night as I lay on........ ('my pillow' in the original.) If 'My Bonnie' is 1880s that puts the 1873 date in jeopardy. |
|
16 Mar 23 - 07:54 PM (#4167768) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Grand Round-up From: Lighter Steve, the earliest ref. I've seen to "My Bonnie" is this, from the Valley Sentinel (Carlisle, Pa.), Aug. 19, 1881: "Gazing over the placid bosom of Lake Michigan and singing softly to himself, 'My Bonnie lies over the ocean.'" |
|
31 Mar 23 - 11:11 AM (#4168872) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Grand Round-up From: Lighter "Wehman's Collection of 145 Songs - No. 37" (n.d., but no earlier than 1892): THE GREAT ROUND-UP by A. W. Wilson Last night as I lay on the prairie, Looking up to the clouds in the sky I wondered if ever a cow-boy Had got to the sweet bye and bye. The road to that bright, mystic region Both narrow and dim so they say, Whilst the one that leads to perdition Is posted and blazed all the way. They say there will be a great round-up, And the cow-boys like cattle will stand, Mavericked out by the riders of Jordan, Who are posted and know every brand. And if there is one stray cow-boy, Unchanged or unseen by an eye, He'll be cut out by the riders of Jordan, And shipped to the sweet bye-and-bye. I wonder whose fault is so many Will be lost at that great final sale, When they could have been rich and had plenty, Had they known of the dim narrow trail. Though the cow-boy lives out on the prairie, And his way through temptation does wind, Still a kind eye that never grows weary, Looks down his dark rough way to find. He may go on the way that is narrow, And leads to green pastures above, Away from this reign of sorrow, To the dwellings of joy, peace, and love. So now while salvation is offered Let the cow-boy look for the right brand, Nor reject the great mercy that's proffered, Then acquitted at the round-up he'll stand. (While cattle are bought and shipped for slaughter, cattle-like cowboys are bought and shipped to the sweet bye-and-bye.) |
|
31 Mar 23 - 12:46 PM (#4168881) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Grand Round-up From: Lighter E. D. Smith, “The Passing of the Cattle Trail,” Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society (1910): “It was sung to a soft tune in a minor key.…I think it was in 1890 that Mr. J. H. Nation, a cattleman,…happened to be at my old sod house for dinner. After dinner he sang for my children this song. It was the first time I had heard it, and the best rendering of it I ever heard. Since that time I have heard many times cowboys state that Mr. Nation composed it, but I do not know that to be true, and I think likely no one knows, unless Mr. Nation does, who did in fact compose it. THE DIM, NARROW TRAIL. Last night as I lay on the prairie, Looking up at the stars in the sky, I wondered if ever a cowboy Would go to that sweet by and by; I wondered if ever a cowboy Would go to that sweet by and by. The trail to that fair mystic region Is narrow and dim all the way. While the road that leads to perdition Is posted and blazed all the way; While the road that leads to perdition Is posted and blazed all the way. They say there will be a grand round-up, Where cowboys like cattle must stand. To be cut by the riders of judgment, Who are posted and know every brand; To be cut by the riders of judgment. Who are posted and know every brand. Perhaps there will be a stray cowboy, Unbranded by any one nigh. Who’ll be cut by the riders of judgment And shipped to the sweet by and by; Who’ll be cut by the riders of judgment And shipped to the sweet by and by. I don't see why there's so many To be lost at that great final sale, Who might have been rich and had plenty Had they known of that great final sale; Who might have been rich and had plenty Had known of that great final sale. “Those who know it insist that the person who composed the words also composed the tune to which it was sung.” (The tune Smith remembered seems not to have been “My Bonnie.”) |