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(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend
performed by Stan Jones (and many others
written by Stan Jones
released initially June 5, 1948
An old cowpoke went riding out one dark and windy day,
Upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way,
When all at once a mighty herd of red-eyed cows he saw,
A ploughin’ through the ragged skies
And up a cloudy draw.
Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o,
The ghost herd in the sky.
Their brands were still on fire and their hooves was made of steel,
Their horns wuz black and shiny and their hot breath he could feel,
A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the sky,
For he saw the riders comin’ hard
And he heard their mournful cry.
Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o,
Ghost riders in the sky.
Their faces gaunt their eyes were blurred and shirts all soaked
With sweat,
They’re ridin’ hard to catch that herd but they ain’t caught them yet
‘Cause they’ve got to ride forever on that range up in the sky,
On horses snortin’ fire
As they ride on, hear their cry.
Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o,
Ghost riders in the sky.
As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his name,
“If you want to save your soul from hell a-riding on our range,
Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride
A-try’ng to catch the devil’s herd
Across these endless skies.”
Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o,
The ghost herd in the sky.
Ghost riders in the sky.
One potential failure, when writing a song about the dangers of hell, is making hell sound cool. That might be happening here. Of course, any old cowhand would probably disagree. Maybe it’s just that hard work looks cool from the outside but is miserable and hot for those who have experience.
Oh, humans, we are so easily deceived.
This song is actually based on (or at least allegedly based on) an old Native American folk tale – which if I’m being honest only adds to the song’s allure. Let me reiterate one more time. You’re not suppose to want to want to spend eternity on an endless cattle drive, chasing the devil’s own herd. Does it sound kind of epic? Yeah. Would it be hell? Also yes. It reminds me that people think the Norse view of daily fighting at Valhalla sounds like fun.
Ah, you’ve run me through with your sword! Fantastic! Let’s do it again later! Ragnarök awaits!
I’m gonna pass on all of that and heed the warning. (more via wiki)
“(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend” is a cowboy-styled country/western song written in 1948 by American songwriter Stan Jones.
A number of versions were crossover hits on the pop charts in 1949, the most successful being by Vaughn Monroe. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as the greatest western song of all time.
Overview
The song tells a folk tale of a cowboy who has a vision of red-eyed, steel-hooved cattle thundering across the sky, being chased by the spirits of damned cowboys. One warns him that if he does not change his ways, he will be doomed to join them, forever “trying to catch the Devil’s herd across these endless skies”. The story has been linked with old European myths of the Wild Hunt and the Dutch/Flemish legend of the Buckriders, in which a supernatural group of hunters passes the narrator in wild pursuit.
Stan Jones stated that he had been told the story when he was 12 years old by an old Native American who resided north-east of the Douglas, Arizona, border town, a few miles behind D Hill, north of Agua Prieta, Sonora. The Native Americans, possibly Apache, who lived within Cochise County, believed that when souls vacate their physical bodies, they reside as spirits in the sky, resembling ghost riders. He related this story to Wayne Hester, a boyhood friend (later owner of the Douglas Cable Company). As both boys were looking at the clouds, Stan shared what the old Native American had told him, looking in amazement as the cloudy shapes were identified as the “ghost riders” that years later, would be transposed into lyrics. The melody is based on the Civil War-era popular song “When Johnny Comes Marching Home“.
Hundreds of performers have recorded versions of the song. Vaughn Monroe reached number 1 in Billboard magazine with his version (“Riders in the Sky” with orchestra and vocal quartet). Other artists that made the charts with the song include The Outlaws, Bing Crosby (with the Ken Darby Singers), Frankie Laine, Burl Ives (two different versions), Marty Robbins, The Ramrods and Johnny Cash.
Notable and charting recordings
Heavy Metal band DevilDriver collaborated with Johnny Cash’s son, John Carter Cash, and Randy Blythe from Lamb of God in covering the song.
The original version by Stan Jones was recorded in late 1948 or early 1949. A recording by Stan Jones and his Death Valley Rangers was issued on Mercury 5320 in May 1949. Fellow songwriter Eden Ahbez sent the song to Burl Ives, who recorded his own version in early 1949.
Burl Ives recorded the song on February 17, 1949, and the song was released by Columbia Records as catalog No. 38445. The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on April 22, 1949, lasting six weeks and peaking at No. 21.
A version by Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra with Vaughn Monroe and The Moon Men on vocals, was recorded on March 14, 1949, and released by RCA Victor Records as catalog No. 20-3411 (in USA) and by EMI on the His Master’s Voice label as catalog No. BD 1247, HN 3014, HQ 2071, IM 1425 and GY 878. The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on April 15, 1949, lasting 22 weeks and reaching No. 1. Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song for 1949.
Bing Crosby recorded a version on March 22, 1949, released by Decca Records as catalog No. 24618. The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on May 6, 1949, lasting 6 weeks and peaking at No. 14.
Peggy Lee recorded a version on April 18, 1949, released by Capitol Records as catalog No. 57-608. It reached No. 2 on Billboard‘s Most Played By Disc Jockeys listing without appearing in the retail Top 30.
Spike Jones recorded a version in 1950 with his band The City Slickers on the b-side of their single “Chinese Mule Train” RCA Victor Records as catalog No. 20-37 41), which made reference to the stolen melody. In the last verse, they sing: “When Johnny comes marching home again, hooray, hooray / He’ll make the guy who wrote this song pay and pay / ‘Cos all we hear is “Ghost Riders” sung by Vaughn Monroe / I can go without his singing, but I wish I had his dough.”
The Ramrods released an instrumental rock version in 1961 with overdubbed shouts, whistles and cattle calls. The record was made a “Pick of the Week” by Cash Box, and rose to No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, No. 4 in Canada, and No. 8 on the UK singles chart.
Lawrence Welk and His Orchestra released an instrumental version in 1961, featuring Neil Levang on guitar, which spent three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching No. 87.
Johnny Cash recorded a version for the album Silver which was released by Columbia Records as catalog No. 3-10961 on April 1, 1979. It first appeared on Billboard‘s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart on April 15, 1979, lasting 16 weeks and peaking at No. 2 on July 27.
Riders in the Sky included a version on their debut album Three on the Trail released by Rounder Records Group in 1979.
An instrumental version by the Shadows reached No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1980.
The Outlaws included a recording on their 1980 album Ghost Riders that omitted the last verse. This version spent 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 31 in March 1981. In Canada it was number 15 for three weeks and in the top 50 for 12 weeks. This version of the song is used by professional wrestler “Hangman” Adam Page, who first used it at the All Elite Wrestling Revolution pay-per-view event on March 5, 2023.
Ned Sublette recorded the song, in a Cuban-influenced style, on his 1999 album “Cowboy Rumba”.
Mexican Ballad Rock band Los Baby’s instrumental version of the song from their 2017 tribute album features Rock en Español guitarists Alejandro Marcovich from Caifanes and Paco Huidobro from Fobia.
This is the original version of the song, by its song-writer. It captures the ethereal nature of the lyrics. It might be my favorite version of all time. I listened to a bunch of different versions while writing this post. Sam Jones’ version is amazing:
This is probably the version of which you’re most familiar. There was kind of a rule during the life of Johnny Cash that once he covered your song, it was no longer your song. That’s probably true here, too.
