The Sons of the Pioneers did several songs for the John Ford movies Wagon Master (in 1949) and Rio Grande in (1950).
The six members who made the Sons of the Pioneers famous in the late 1930s with their close-harmonied western style music were elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980. In 1995, they were inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
In 1977, the Smithsonian designated the Sons of the Pioneers as "national treasures". Through many changes to the line-up, the Sons of the Pioneers have continued to perform.
Tumbling Tumbleweeds
Sons Of The Pioneers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pledging their love to the ground!
Lonely, but free, I'll be found
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds
Cares of the past are behind
Nowhere to go, but I'll find
Just where the trail will wind
Drifting along with the tumblin' tumbleweeds
I know when night has gone
That a new world's born at dawn!
I'll keep rolling along
Deep in my heart is a song
Here on the range I belong
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds
I know when night has gone
That a new world's born at dawn!
I'll keep rolling along
Deep in my heart is a song
Here on the range I belong
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds
The first verse of Sons of the Pioneers' Tumbling Tumbleweeds speaks of the beauty of the natural world, as the singer observes the tumbleweeds rolling across the ground, pledging their love to the earth. The loneliness of the singer is highlighted, but it is also clear that he or she is free to roam, and will do so along with the tumbling tumbleweeds, drifting through life without a care in the world.
The second verse suggests that the singer has left the cares of the past behind, and while there is nowhere in particular to go, he or she will follow the winding trail wherever it may lead. The tumbling tumbleweeds serve as a reminder of the beauty and unpredictability of the natural world, and the singer finds peace in this.
The final verse is perhaps the most uplifting, as the singer looks forward to a new dawn and the promise of a fresh start. The rolling along that the singer has been doing takes on a more joyful tone, as the heart is filled with song and the sense of belonging on the open range is strong. The tumbling tumbleweeds continue to serve as a symbol of freedom, unpredictability, and the beauty of nature.
Line by Line Meaning
See them tumbling down
Watching the tumbleweeds roll and fall
Pledging their love to the ground!
The way the tumbleweeds tumble and fall show their devotion to the earth
Lonely, but free, I'll be found
Even though I may be alone, I am free and at peace
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds
Flowing and moving like the tumbleweeds
Cares of the past are behind
Leaving behind worries and troubles from the past
Nowhere to go, but I'll find
Even though I may not know where I am headed, I will find my way
Just where the trail will wind
Following the path as it twists and turns
Drifting along with the tumblin' tumbleweeds
Continuing to move forward like the tumbleweeds
I know when night has gone
With the passing of each night
That a new world's born at dawn!
A new world is created with each new day
I'll keep rolling along
I will keep moving forward
Deep in my heart is a song
I have a melody in my heart
Here on the range I belong
I belong here on the open range
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds
Continuing to move forward like the tumbleweeds
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BOB NOLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bill Akins
on The Devil's Great Grandson
"The Devil's Great Grandson" (Lyrics)
Recorded by Roy Rogers & The Son's Of The Pioneers
(Lyrics submitted by Bill Akins)
(The Devil's Great Grandson performed by the Sons Of The Pioneers and written by Bob Nolan. The tune was recorded in Los Angeles on December 14, 1937 and the group at that time was Roy Rogers, Bob Nolan, Lloyd Perryman and the Farr brothers.)
Old Skyball Paint was the devil's saint
His eyes were a fiery red
Good men have tried this horse to ride
And all of them are dead
Now I won't brag but I rode this nag
Till his blood began to boil
Then I hit the ground and ate three pound
Of good old western soil
Singin' Hi-ho lad don't you make me mad
I'm the devil's great grandson
And I'm doin' my best to tame the west
With my great big forty-four gun
(Light group harmony yodel)
I swore by heck
I'd break his neck for the jolt he gave my pride
I threw my noose on that old cayuse and once more took a ride
He turned around and soon
I found his tail where his head should be
So says says I Perhaps he's shy or he just don't care for me
Singin' Hi-ho lad don't you make me mad
I'm the devil's great grandson
And I'm doin' my best to tame the west
With my great big forty-four gun
(Only Roy Rogers STRONG yodeling, group harmony humming and ahhing along)
In town you see just to have a spree when
I meets old Sheriff Jim
With fistic fun and my big six-gun
I buys the town from him
For a whoop and a holler and a counterfeit dollar
Then I ask for a bill of sale
But my face turned red when the contract said just thirty days in jail
Singin' Hi-ho lad don't you make me mad
I'm the devil's great grandson
And I'm doin' my best to tame the west
With my great big forty-four gun
(Light group harmony yodel again)
Where the greasewood bats wear
Stetson hats and the bad men all run free
Where they sold the jail at a bargain sale
That's the land for me
Where the desert ants wear buckskin pants and help me rule the land
With the ants and the bats and my two gats
I'll rule with an iron hand
Singin' Hi-ho lad don't you make me mad
I'm the devil's great grandson
And I'm doin' my best to tame the west
With my great big forty-four gun
(Only Roy Rogers STRONG yodeling, group harmony humming and ahhing along)