Poetry Friday: Cowboy Songs for Kids

Singing cowboy songs is a good way to start the morning. Head over yonder to the Diamond R Ranch web site to sing along with "I Love to Ride My Pony." How can you resist a song with the lyrics "Yippee-yi, yippee-yay, yippee-yoho!"? I couldn't. Children will also find online exhibits, games, coloring pages, and recipes there. (And if the kiddos are still in the mood for western songs, track down "Always Your Pal, Gene Autry," a fun CD much loved in these parts a while back. Oh, and Asleep at the Wheel's Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys.)

The Diamond R Ranch is part of the online home of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, in Oklahoma City. The museum sponsors the annual Western Heritage Awards; the latest winner in the "juvenile book" category was Journey to San Jacinto, a novel for 8 to 12 year olds by Melodie A. Cuate. Southern Living said, “To teach kids history, try time travel. Cuate, a veteran schoolteacher, spins the tale of a seventh-grader Hannah, her brother Nick, and her friend Jackie. They are intrigued by a mysterious trunk belonging to Hannah’s new history teacher. When they open it, something magical happens, and they travel back in time to the Alamo, where the famous siege is underway.”

Stop by the corral at Becky's Book Reviews for a roundup of other blog posts on poetry and related matters.  

Comments

[Becky]

You're lucky if you get it just in the morning, Susan!

Gene Autry is a big favorite, and we were able to add some of his Christmas songs to our collection this past holiday season. And Roy Rogers, and Tex Ritter (father of John "Three's Company" Ritter). My dad grew up in Wyoming, so we listened to a lot of cowboy music growing up, which was good practice for moving here! In the past few years, the kids have discovered Corb Lund and his band, Alberta alt country/cowboy. We've seen them in concert and it's good stuff.

I seem to remember buying one of the kids Rosalyn Schanzer's "Chisholm Trail" picture book about the song one year for Christmas. You'll have to get some Cowboy Poetry next!

Happy Trails...

[Susan T.]

Howdy, Becky. I have to wait until Jr. gets home from school to show him the web site. He would love life on a ranch...

[TadMack]

This reminds me of grade school. Our 1st and 2nd grade teacher taught us the song, "I Should Like to Go to Texas," and the "Gee-up, Come along! Whoa! Stop! Whoa!" was our favorite part of the song. Cute!

[Susan T.]

I've always loved songs like that, TadMack, and ones like The Happy Wanderer--Val-deri, Val-dera... When I was in 3rd grade, I so looked forward to 4th because we would get to sing that song in music.

[writer2b]

"I Love to Ride My Pony" will be perfect for my little horsemaniac. Thanks for these resources!

[Susan T.]

Writer2b, you're welcome!

[Jules]

I've been sitting on -- for about a year now -- this handsome-looking book called Cowboy Stories with illusrations by Barry Moser. My TBR pile is just so huge, but I MUST make time to read this soon. It's one beautiful book, and who doesn't like a cowboy story?

One of our favorite children's songs in the Danielson household is an original lullaby (but a rather rollicking one, as lullabies go) about a little cowgirl: "Get along, little cowgirl / Clickety clak / Drink your coffee from a can / Eat your lunch from a sack / Ride all day 'til the sun sinks low / Yippie-ki-ya-ki-o." I love it!

(That's "original," as in not that WE wrote it, but it's on a compilatin of American lullabies in which some songs are covers of traditional lullabies, but this is a contemporary one by Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer).

[Jules]

Ooh, all those spelling errors. Sorry. It's morning, and I haven't had coffee yet.

[Susan T.]

Jules, I never even heard of that book; thanks for telling me about it. I love cowboy stuff. When I got married, some friends of mine threw a shower for me at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame restaurant in NYC. It was a hoot. If I'm ever in Oklahoma City, I'm going to the Cowboy museum.

No worries about spelling. Ever!

[Tahiti]

Hi y'all

I wonder if you can help me track down a song/lullaby my daddy sang me when i was little. He only knew the one verse and he sang it to me over and over to get me to sleep. i'd love to know hear the whole song someday. the lyrics are: “Cowboys don’t cry, when the lights are turned down low, I know they don’t cry, ‘cause a cowboy told me so. So close your eyes and go to sleep, the way all cowboys do, and soon you’ll be in dreamland, where you’re a cowboy too.” Thank you.

[Susan (Chicken Spaghetti)]

I'm sure you've tried Googling the lyrics. Wish I knew the answer to your query, but I'm not much help. Sorry!

[Carl S.]

Tahiti,

I know it's been a good long while, but I just happened upon your comment and thought I'd put it out there in case you are still looking for that lullaby or in case someone else might be looking for it and found this thread.

That lullaby was recorded by the late Rex Trailer (of WBZ-TV's "Boomtown" fame, out of 1950's Boston). Called "Cowboy's Don't Cry" (not to be confused with the Hank Williams or Brooks & Dunn tunes of the same name), Trailer recorded in it 1956.

It's available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AvoBuS97Mc

Hope it brings back memories!

[Susan Thomsen]

It's never too late for great details like this! Thanks, Carl.