ThreeTuneTuesday: I Ride An Old Paint - Renditions of an Old Cowboy Song

These days I have been working a lot with old paint - meaning that I've been stripping it off of old window frames. Not a hard kinda work, but somewhat monotonous, so it's understandable that while the mind wanders it stumbles onto weird and interesting things. Take Old Paint for instance, which inspired me into writing this post, since that tune had been playing in my head repeatedly. So much so, that I got into humming the tune, before deciding to look up various interpretations of it. And all because of the old paint.

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Old Paint and Cowboy Songs???

It may not be immediately apparent what the two things have to do with each other. At this point it's useful to explain that a paint is a spotted horse. And yes, if you listen to the lyrics carefully, you will notice other interesting expressions, which I would like to examine.

I ride an old paint, I lead an old dam
I'm goin' to Montana to throw the hoolihan
They feed in the coulees and water in the draw
Their tails are all matted and their backs are all raw

Ride around little dogies, ride around them slow
For the fiery and snuffy are rarin' to go

As I mentioned, the paint is a spotted horse, while a dam is a mother horse. A hoolihan is supposedly a maverick, or unmarked animal, but the context of the song would suggest something like a sling to rope in an animal. As for the fiery and snuffy, they probably refer to the branding irons used to mark the animals. Finally, a dogie has nothing to do with a dog, instead it's a motherless calf. These are all the cases of cowboy lingo I could find something about. As for the rest, you'll have to make your own guesses.

So now, here is the version that I had been most familiar with, performed by Woody Guthrie.

Old Bill Jones had a daughter and a son
Son went to college and the daughter went wrong
His wife got killed in a free-for-all fight
But still he keeps singing from morning to night

I worked in the town, I worked on the farm
All I got to show was just this muscle in my arm
Blisters on my feet, callus on my hand
Goin' to Montana to throw the hoolihan

Folk Art Means Individualized Versions

Since the song is an old traditional, there are numerous versions, even certain verses that may be included or left out. In this beautiful vocal interpretation Nicole Freshley includes a verse about a cowboy's last wish of having his bones strung on his pony, so they can keep riding the prairies together.

When I die take my saddle from the wall,
Put it on to my pony, lead him out of his stall,
Tie my bones to his back, turn our faces to the west,
And we'll ride the prairie that we love the best.

Finally, here is another version by Colter Wall, where he even introduces another cowboy song in the end, called Good-bye Old Paint. Another one about a spotted horse, of course. Leaving Cheyenne (presumably in Wyoming), going to Montana... it almost sounds like it could be the same song! And sure enough, if you're whistling them on the trail, they may easily merge into each other... just like when you are stripping paint from old window frames.

This post is my entry for today's #threetunetuesday challenge, where you can post three tunes (preferably on a Tuesday), and even have the chance to win something. Take a look at this post for more info.