An old cowboy went ridin’ 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 Plowin’ through the ragged skies and up a cloudy draw
Their brands were still on fire and their hooves were made of steel Their horns were 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 cries
Yippie I ohhh ohh ohh Yippie I aye ye ye Ghost riders in the sky
Their faces gaunt, their eyes were blurred Their shirts all soaked with sweat He’s ridin’ hard to catch that herd But he ain’t caught em yet Cause they got to ride forever in that range up in the sky On horses snortin’ fire as they ride on hear their cries
As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his name ‘If you wanna save your soul from hell a-ridin’ on our range Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride Tryin’ to catch the devil’s herd across these endless skies
Yippie I ohhh oh oh Yippie I aye ye ye Ghost riders in the sky Ghost riders in the sky Ghost riders in the sky
The writer said Burl Ives was the first to record, but it may have been Vaughn Monroe in 1949.
Other popular recordings were by Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins
Sorry, lyrics didn’t get formatted quite right.
Ghost Chickens In the Sky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAjNuPc6Bi4
Great back story. I like The Outlaws version myself.
Wow, I had no idea that this was the story behind the song. How sad.
I heard it first in ‘51 when I was two, and it’s been a favorite ever since. Didn’t know about the backstory, but it would require one like that.
What was the "mesa" is now a peninsula surrounded by the White River Lake.
One has driven through Post TX on the way to Lubbock from I20. Take FM 651 over to Kalgary and the lake is a few miles beyond that town.
Thank you. Love the song. Never heard the legend.
This song is on my workout playlist.
It’s a GREAT song and I’ve got about a dozen versions by different artists.
The author of this article wrote “It all began like any other cattle drive should have back in the fall of 1889.”
By 1889, the era of the great cattle drives had just about ended.
“In the 1890s, herds were still occasionally driven from the Panhandle of Texas to Montana. However, railroads had expanded to cover most of the nation, and meat packing plants were built closer to major ranching areas, making long cattle drives to the railheads unnecessary.”
“The great Texas cattle drives started in the 1860’s because Texas had lots of longhorn and the rest of the country wanted beef. From about 1865 to the mid-1890’s, Texas vaqueros and cowboys herded about 5 million cattle to markets up north. The Chisholm Trail was used the most in 1871, but by the mid-1884, the trail wasn’t being used much anymore because railroads had been built in Texas so the cattle could be shipped from here.”
An old cowboy went ridin’ out one dark and windy day,
Upon a ridge he had to go as he went along his way,
A thought raced through his head as he dropped his britches down,
Left that roll of paper, in the bunkhouse back in town.
Yippie I ohhh ohh ohh Yippie I aye ye ye, What you gonna do, when you gotta go.
Interesting backstory about “GRitS” in Crosby County, TX. The “Yellowstone” tv series has a side story line currently developing on the 6666 Ranch, also in the Texas panhandle of King/ Carson/ Hutchinson Counties next to Crosby County.
Its the Burl Ives version for me. I even have it on my playlist.
I wouldn’t even bother to listen to it by anyone else, it would be sort of sacrilegious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDi6eYMZ_5Q
Call me irreverent - I prefer the Spike Jones / Doodles Weaver version.
“This is a cowboy legend? Oy!”
Johnny Cash - Ghost Riders in the Sky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LtmZM0OWO8
Glen Campbell & Roy Clark Play “Ghost Riders in the Sky”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_kbgjsuCec