[78-L] Christmas Songs

[Cary Ginell]

I reviewed a performance by the Los Robles Master Chorale last week, and amidst all of the "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" standards and medieval texts reset for SATB choir, there was one real delight: an obscure song written by Tim & Glenn Spencer of the Sons of the Pioneers called "Daddy's Christmas Cowboy." It's a delightful secular trifle, kind of similar to Roger Miller's "Old Toy Trains," but with more verses. The men's ensemble of the choir did a wonderful job on it, with a soloist singing the lyrics and the rest of the singers imitating the rhythm of the Pioneers' guitars. I had never heard the song before; it is not in any of the Pioneers' discographies. Here are the lyrics - ignore the fact that it's really about a gun-loving tyke who runs amok, vigilante style. It's really a cute song:

DADDY'S LITTLE COWBOY
 Tim and Glenn Spencer, Sons of the Pioneers
 
 1. Here comes daddy's little cowboy. Isn't he a sight?
 All dressed up in his western outfit, lookin' for a fight.
 He packs a great big six-gun pistol, one that really shoots.
 His spurs they jingle-jangle on his sho'-'nough cowboy boots.
 
 CHORUS: Daddy's little cowboy, the toughest of galoots,
 With his western hat, his six-gun gat and his sho'-'nough cowboy boots.
 
 2. Here comes daddy's little cowboy, shootin' up the town.
 He's got the rustlers on the run. He's 'bout to mow 'em down.
 Before he goes to sleep tonight, he'll run 'em all upstairs,
 Then lock 'em up in his bedroom jail, and make 'em say their prayers.
 
 3. Come on, daddy's little cowboy. Lay that pistol down.
 You shot up everything in sight. You've really mowed 'em down.
 You've got the rustlers all in jail, and now they'll have to pay,
 So come on, little buckaroo. It's time to hit the hay.
 
 Yeah, he's daddy's little cowboy, all tucked away in bed
 With his western hat, his six-gun gat, daddy's cowboy sleepyhead.

Cary Ginell

> Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 08:58:04 -0500
> From: mbiel at mbiel.com
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Yet another piece on Christmas Music and the Jews
> 
> On 12/24/2010 3:06 PM, Taylor Bowie wrote:
> > Kind of an odd article.  I would take issue with the writer's description of
> > Sleigh Ride,  Let it Snow, Frosty the Snowman,  and Winter Wonderland as
> > "Christmas songs" unless he imagines that any song which mentions frozen
> > precipitation must be connected to Christmas.
> >
> > Taylor
> 
> We fought this out here (or was it ARSCList?) last year, and I 
> thoroughly agree with you.  Jingle Bells is another example mistaken as 
> a Christmas song.  ome people commented that Sleigh Ride's lyrics 
> (written several years after the piece was popularized as an 
> instrumental) mentions a Christmas party.  No, the original lyrics 
> specifically said Birthday party.  Someone changed the lyrics 15 or so 
> years later, and some others have followed suit.
> 
> Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com
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