Git Along, Little Dogies
| "Git Along, Little Dogies" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Genre | Western, American folk music |
| Songwriter(s) | Traditional |
"Git Along, Little Dogies" is a traditional
The "dogies" referred to in the song are runty or orphaned calves.[2]
History
It is believed to be a variation of a traditional Irish ballad about an old man rocking a cradle.[3] The cowboy adaptation is first mentioned in the 1893 journal of Owen Wister, author of The Virginian.[3] Through Wister's influence, the melody and lyrics were first published in 1910 in John Lomax's Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads.[3][4]
Historian Richard White borrowed a line from the song as the title of his 1991 book It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own: A New History of the American West.
Notable performances
The earliest commercial recording of the song was by Harry "Mac" McClintock in 1929 (released on Victor V-40016 as "Get Along, Little Doggies").
Bing Crosby covered the song for his 1959 album How the West Was Won.[5]
The Kingston Trio covered the song for their 1962 album New Frontier.[6]
The Sons of the Pioneers covered the song for their 1990 album Sunset on the Range.[7]
References
- ^ Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-674-20511-6June 4, 2009
- ^ ISBN 9780252003271.
- ^ Lomax, John A. (1910). Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads. New York: Sturgis & Walton. p. 87.
- ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby.
- Allmusic.
- ^ "Git Along Little Dogies (Whoopee Ti Yi Yo)". Spotify.
External links
- The Library of Congress: The American Folklife Center
- White, John I., Git Along, Little Dogies: Songs and Songmakers of the American West (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1975), referenced in "AFC News," Summer 2006, The Library of Congress: The American Folklife Center
- "Guides to Special Collections" in the Music Division of the Library of Congress", Library of Congress
