Streets of Laredo
Streets of Laredo (also The Streets of Laredo or The Cowboy's Lament ) is an old American traditional that is one of the standards of country music .
origin
The ballad has its origins in the Irish folk song The Unfortunate Rake , which was written around 1790. The piece came from Ireland to England , where, under the title The Trooper Cut Down in His Prime, it tells of the death of a young British soldier who dies of syphilis . Seafarers brought the melody with them to the USA , where it was adapted by cowboys to make Streets of Laredo . This version takes place in the Wild West and tells the story of a young cowboy who was shot. Lying dying, he tells his story to a passing comrade who, judging by his clothes, is also a cowboy. He expresses wishes for his funeral and also hopes that his tragic fate will teach the other cowboy better. The St. James Infirmary jazz standard is another adaptation of the lyrics.
use
The song has been recorded by countless musicians in different genres over the years, but mostly folk or country musicians . Some well-known versions are by Jim Reeves , Marty Robbins , Eddy Arnold , Joan Baez , Burl Ives , Arlo Guthrie , Chet Atkins , Paul Westerberg and Johnny Cash . The latter recorded the piece twice, most recently on American IV: The Man Comes Around in 2002 .
text
The oldest surviving text version comes from Francis Henry Maynard from 1876:
Streets of Laredo - Francis Henry Maynard (1876)
As I walked out in the streets of Laredo,
As I walked out in Laredo one day,
I spied a young cowboy wrapped up in white linen,
Wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay.
Oh beat the drums slowly and play the fife lowly;
Sing the Death March as you carry me along.
Take me to the valley, there lay the sod o'er me,
I'm a young cowboy and know I've done wrong.
I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy.
These words he did say as I boldly walked by.
Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story;
Got shot in the breast and I know I must die!
My friends and relations they live in the Nation:
They know not where their dear boy has gone.
I first came to Texas and hired to a ranchman,
O I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong.
It was once in the saddle I used to go dashing:
It was once in the saddle I used to go gay.
First to the dram house and then to the card house,
Got shot in the breast and I'm dying today.
Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin;
Get six pretty maidens to sing me a song.
Put bunches of roses all over my coffin,
Put roses to deaden the clods as they fall.
Go gather around you a group of young cowboys,
And tell them the story of this my sad fate.
Tell one and the other before they go further,
To stop their wild roving before it's too late.
Go fetch me some water, a cool cup of water
To cool my parched lips, "then the poor cowboy said.
Before I returned his spirit had left him
Had gone to his Maker, the cowboy was dead.
We beat the drum slowly and played the fife lowly,
and bitterly wept as we bore him along.
For awe all loved our comrade, so brave, young, and handsome,
We all loved our comrade although he'd done wrong.
literature
- Irwin Silber, Earl Robinson: Songs of the great American west . Courier Dover Publications, 1995, ISBN 978-0-486-28704-1 , pp. 279-282 .
- William Emmett Studwell: The Americana song reader . Routledge, 1997, ISBN 978-0-7890-0150-4 , pp. 57 .