Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads
John Lomax
Play
Length 6 h 36 min
Chapters 156
First published 1929
John Avery Lomax is a towering figure in the field of early American musicology and folklore. Through intensive field work, Lomax built up the core body of work for the Library of Congress Archive. "Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads" is his collection that propelled him to the forefront of his field and ignited new interest in American folklore, inspiring many to continue research. For his contributions to the field of cowboy music, Locas was inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame in 2010. Many of the verses here are accompanied by musical scores, and some may be more familiar in their musical form such as "A Home on the Range." A wide array of characters and life across the western United States is represented here. - Summary by Larry Wilson
Chapters
1
Dedication Read by Larry Wilson 2:24
2
Introduction Read by Larry Wilson 5:00
3
Collector's Note Read by Larry Wilson 16:00
4
The Dying Cowboy Read by Nemo 4:04
5
The Days of Forty-nine Read by Nemo 2:43
6
Joe Bowers Read by Nemo 2:44
7
The Cowboy's Dream Read by Jack Allan 2:17
8
The Cowboy's Life Read by Michael Fassio 1:54
9
The Kansas Line Read by Scotty Smith 1:53
10
The Cowman's Prayer Read by Larry Wilson 1:18
11
The Miner's Song Read by Kurt 2:49
12
Jesse James Read by Michael Fassio 2:39
13
Poor Lonesome Cowboy Read by Scotty Smith 1:30
14
Buena Vista Battlefield Read by Michael Fassio 2:56
15
Westward Ho Read by Kurt 1:26
16
A Home on the Range Read by Larry Wilson 1:56
17
Texas Rangers Read by Scotty Smith 3:06
18
The Mormon Bishop's Lament Read by Scotty Smith 4:03
19
Dan Taylor Read by Scotty Smith 1:53
20
When Work Is Done This Fall Read by Michael Fassio 3:10
21
Sioux Indians Read by DrPGould 2:19
22
The Old Chisholm Trail Read by Scotty Smith 3:34
23
Jack Donahoo Read by Scotty Smith 1:47
24
Utah Carroll Read by Kurt 3:17
25
The Bull-whacker Read by realisticspeakers 2:37
26
The "Metis" Song of the Buffalo Hunters Read by realisticspeakers 1:46
27
The U-S-U Range Read by Nemo 2:31
28
The Cowboy's Lament Read by realisticspeakers 4:04
29
Love In Disguise Read by realisticspeakers 2:25
30
Mustang Gray Read by realisticspeakers 1:49
31
Young Companions Read by Kurt 1:58
32
Lackey Bill Read by Scotty Smith 4:49
33
Whoopee Ti Yi Yo, Git Along Little Dogies Read by Scotty Smith 2:03
34
I'm A Good Old Rebel Read by Scotty Smith 1:37
35
The Cowboy Read by Eva Davis (d. 2025) 2:31
36
Bill Peters, The Stage Driver Read by Kurt 2:20
37
Hard Times Read by Michael Fassio 3:17
38
Cole Younger Read by Kurt 2:19
39
Mississippi Girls Read by Kurt 2:39
40
The Old Man Under the Hill Read by Kurt 2:26
41
Jerry, Go Ile That Car Read by realisticspeakers 2:29
42
John Garner's Trail Herd Read by Michael Fassio 3:01
43
The Old Scout's Lament Read by Kurt 1:45
44
The Lone Buffalo Hunter Read by Kurt 2:46
45
The Crooked Trail to Holbrook Read by Kurt 2:47
46
Only a Cowboy Read by Kurt 1:49
47
Fuller and Warren Read by Kurt 3:01
48
The Trail to Mexico Read by Kurt 3:52
49
The Horse Wrangler Read by Nemo 2:33
50
California Joe Read by Peter Yearsley 7:45
51
The Boston Burglar Read by Nemo 2:00
52
Sam Bass Read by Nemo 3:20
53
The Zebra Dun Read by Kurt 3:36
54
The Buffalo Skinners Read by Kurt 3:33
55
Macaffie's Confession Read by Kurt 3:05
56
Little Joe, The Wrangler Read by Kurt 3:27
57
Harry Bale Read by Kurt 2:12
58
Foreman Monroe Read by Kurt 3:48
59
The Dreary Black Hills Read by realisticspeakers 1:57
60
A Mormon Song Read by Tim Watkins 2:40
61
The Buffalo Hunters Read by Nemo 1:57
62
The Little Old Sod Shanty Read by Kurt 2:53
63
The Gol-darned Wheel Read by Cyndy 4:41
64
Bonnie Black Bess Read by BettyB 2:36
65
The Last Longhorn Read by Peter Yearsley 2:42
66
A Prisoner for Life Read by Kurt 2:03
67
The Wars of Germany Read by Nemo 3:26
68
Freighting from Wilcox to Globe Read by Kurt 3:47
69
The Arizona Boys and Girls Read by BettyB 2:46
70
The Dying Ranger Read by realisticspeakers 3:27
71
The Fair Fannie Moore Read by Peter Yearsley 2:40
72
Hell in Texas Read by Nemo 2:40
73
By Markentura's Flowery Marge Read by Kurt 2:02
74
The State of Arkansaw Read by Nemo 3:28
75
The Texas Cowboy Read by Kurt 3:13
76
The Dreary, Dreary Life Read by Kurt 2:45
77
Jim Farrow Read by Kurt 1:48
78
Young Charlottie Read by BettyB 3:43
79
The Skew-Ball Black Read by Kurt 1:37
80
The Rambling Cowboy Read by Nemo 2:05
81
The Cowboy at Church Read by Nemo 3:15
82
The U. S. A. Recruit Read by Larry Wilson 2:27
83
The Cowgirl Read by BettyB 1:08
84
The Shanty Boy Read by Kurt 1:28
85
Root Hog or Die Read by Michael 3:05
86
Sweet Betsy from Pike Read by BettyB 2:55
87
The Disheartened Ranger Read by Cyndy 2:58
88
The Melancholy Cowboy Read by Nemo 2:10
89
Bob Stanford Read by Michael 1:35
90
Charlie Rutlage Read by Michael 1:59
91
The Range Riders Read by Chris Pyle 2:00
92
Her White Bosom Bare Read by Kurt 3:58
93
Juan Murray Read by Chris Pyle 2:13
94
Greer County Read by Cyndy 3:14
95
Rosin the Bow Read by Kurt 2:01
96
The Great Round-Up Read by Larry Wilson 2:28
97
The Jolly Cowboy Read by Yanyan Zeng 3:01
98
The Convict Read by Kurt 1:48
99
Jack O' Diamonds Read by Kurt 3:28
100
The Cowboy's Meditation Read by Nemo 2:10
101
Billy Venero Read by Kurt 4:14
102
Dogie Song Read by Tim Watkins 1:06
103
The Boozer Read by Kurt 1:19
104
Drinking Song Read by Kurt 0:55
105
A Fragment Read by Larry Wilson 0:49
106
A Man Named Hods Read by Lowell Moore 2:41
107
A Fragment Read by Larry Wilson 0:53
108
The Lone Star Trail Read by aniroo 3:37
109
Way Down In Mexico Read by DrPGould 1:07
110
Rattlesnake A Ranch Haying Song Read by DrPGould 2:17
111
The Railroad Corral Read by Jack Albert 1:55
112
The Song of the "Metis" Trapper Read by Cyndy 1:58
113
The Camp Fire Has Gone Out Read by Bristol Chilton 1:35
114
Night-Herding Song Read by aniroo 1:40
115
Tail Piece Read by DrPGould 0:39
116
The Habit Read by Nemo 1:39
117
Old Paint Read by Cyndy 2:00
118
Down South on the Rio Grande Read by Larry Wilson 1:12
119
Silver Jack Read by Phil Schempf 2:38
120
The Cowboy's Christmas Ball Read by Nemo 5:47
121
Pinto Read by Larry Wilson 1:38
122
The Gal I Left Behind Me Read by Wolfgang Bas 1:50
123
Billy The Kid Read by Cyndy 1:12
124
The Hell-Bound Train Read by Nemo 3:27
125
The Old Scout's Lament Read by Phil Schempf 1:42
126
The Deserted Adobe Read by Yanyan Zeng 2:08
127
The Cowboy at Work Read by Yanyan Zeng 1:56
128
Here's to the Ranger! Read by aniroo 1:52
129
Muster Out the Ranger Read by aniroo 1:40
130
A Cow Camp on the Range Read by Phil Schempf 1:48
131
Freckles. A Fragment Read by DrPGould 2:26
132
Whose Old Cow? Read by Larry Wilson 3:16
133
Old Time Cowboy Read by Cyndy 2:30
134
Bucking Broncho Read by Nemo 2:06
135
The Pecos Queen Read by BettyB 1:26
136
Chopo Read by aniroo 1:17
137
Top Hand Read by DrPGould 2:26
138
California Trail Read by Bristol Chilton 2:00
139
Bronc Peeler's Song Read by aniroo 1:26
140
A Deer Hunt Read by Tim Watkins 1:48
141
Windy Bill Read by Michael Fassio 2:26
142
Wild Rovers Read by Michael Fassio 2:08
143
Life in a Half-Breed Shack Read by Larry Wilson 1:57
144
The Road to Cook's Peak Read by Cyndy 2:51
145
Araphoe, Or Buckskin Joe Read by Phil Schempf 3:20
146
Rounded up in Glory Read by Larry Wilson 1:17
147
The Drunkard's Hell Read by Michael 2:18
148
Rambling Boy Read by aniroo 1:42
149
Brigham Young. I. Read by DrPGould 1:42
150
Brigham Young. II Read by DrPGould 2:13
151
The Old Gray Mule Read by Nemo 1:16
152
The Fools of Forty-nine Read by aniroo 2:25
153
A Ripping Trip Read by aniroo 1:04
154
The Happy Miner Read by aniroo 2:04
155
The California Stage Company Read by aniroo 1:25
156
New National Anthem Read by Larry Wilson 1:24
From LibriVox, read by volunteers and in the public domain. LibriVox page (opens librivox.org) , the text (opens gutenberg.org) , all files on the Internet Archive (opens archive.org) .
