In 1974 and 1975, she recorded for Avco Records, and, in 1981, recorded for Plantation Records, her most recent record label. Page's most recent single to appear on any Billboard chart was the 1982 #80 country single, "My Man Friday". (She last appeared on the pop chart in 1968, with her version of O.C. Smith's hit, "Little Green Apples", and on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Give Him Love" in 1971.)
Page made the country chart in up to 1983, with her biggest hit during that time being "Hello, We're Lonely," a 1973 #14 duet with Tom T. Hall.
In the 1990s, Page started her own label, C.A.F. Records. In 1998, she won a Grammy as "Best Traditional Pop Singer". Page continued to record into the new millenium with the CDs BRAND NEW TENNESSEE WALTZ, SWEET SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS (2002), CHILD OF MINE (2003) and her last 2009 release BEST OF COUNTRY. Many of her songs have a strong beat to them that prelude rock 'n' roll. These titles include "Mister and Mississippi", "Detour" and "Cross Over the Bridge". In 1956, she married choreographer Charles O'Curran. They adopted two children, a daughter, Kathleen, and a son, Daniel O'Curran.
Streets of Laredo
Patti Page Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I walked out on Laredo one day,
I spied a poor cowboy wrapped in white linen,
Wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay.
"I can see by your outfit that you are a cowboy."
These words he did say as I boldly walked by.
"Come an' sit down beside me an' hear my sad story.
"It was once in the saddle, I used to go dashing.
"Once in the saddle, I used to go gay.
"First to the card-house and then down to Rose's.
"But I'm shot in the breast and I'm dying today."
"Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin.
"Six dance-hall maidens to bear up my pall.
"Throw bunches of roses all over my coffin.
"Roses to deaden the clods as they fall."
"Then beat the drum slowly, play the Fife lowly.
"Play the dead march as you carry me along.
"Take me to the green valley, lay the sod o'er me,
"I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong."
"Then go write a letter to my grey-haired mother,
"An' tell her the cowboy that she loved has gone.
"But please not one word of the man who had killed me.
"Don't mention his name and his name will pass on."
When thus he had spoken, the hot sun was setting.
The streets of Laredo grew cold as the clay.
We took the young cowboy down to the green valley,
And there stands his marker, we made, to this day.
We beat the drum slowly and played the Fife lowly,
Played the dead march as we carried him along.
Down in the green valley, laid the sod o'er him.
He was a young cowboy and he said he'd done wrong.
The song "Streets of Laredo" was originally a cowboy ballad, also known as "The Cowboy’s Lament," that was passed down through generations and eventually became a popular folk song. Patti Page's version, released in 1959, was a cover of an earlier recording by Tex Ritter. The song tells the story of a dying cowboy who asks those around him to bury him with particular ceremony and care.
The first verse sets the scene - the singer is walking around the town of Laredo and encounters a dying cowboy who is wrapped in white linen. The cowboy recognizes the singer's outfit as that of a fellow cowboy and asks him to sit and listen to his story. He explains that he used to be a reckless young man who spent his time gambling and visiting taverns, but now he's dying from a gunshot wound. In his dying moments, he remembers his mother and asks that she not be told who killed him. The song ends on a sad note, with the singer and others burying the young cowboy in a green valley.
The song is a reflection on the dangers of the cowboy lifestyle and the toll it takes on individuals. It also touches on the idea of redemption and regret, as the cowboy admits to the singer that he knows he's done wrong. The final line of the song, "He was a young cowboy and he said he'd done wrong," is particularly poignant, emphasizing the loss of potential and the tragedy of a life cut short.
Line by Line Meaning
As I walked out on the streets of Laredo.
One day, I took a walk in the city of Laredo.
I spied a poor cowboy wrapped in white linen,
I saw a cowboy dressed in white linen, looking like he was dead.
Wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay.
The cowboy's body was very cold, like he was already buried in the ground.
"I can see by your outfit that you are a cowboy."
The cowboy recognized me as another one due to my outfit.
"Come an' sit down beside me an' hear my sad story.
The cowboy asked to sit and tell me a story.
"I'm shot in the breast an' I know I must die."
The cowboy said he was shot and knew he was going to die.
"It was once in the saddle, I used to go dashing.
The cowboy talked about his past freedom, when he would ride horses and go on adventures.
"Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin.
He asked for six happy cowboys to carry his coffin.
"Then beat the drum slowly, play the Fife lowly.
He wanted a slow, somber funeral march as he was carried to his grave, to mourn his early death.
"Take me to the green valley, lay the sod o'er me,
He wished to be buried in a green valley, and covered by earth, cut from fresh plots nearby.
"Then go write a letter to my grey-haired mother,
The cowboy requested someone to send a message to his mother about his passing away.
"But please not one word of the man who had killed me.
He asked not to name the person who caused his death when they spoke to his mother.
We took the young cowboy down to the green valley,
After his death, we carried the cowboy to the valley he chose for his resting place.
And there stands his marker, we made, to this day.
His grave was marked with a stone made by us, that still indicates where he lies today.
He was a young cowboy and he said he'd done wrong.
The cowboy knew he had made mistakes but still didn't deserve to be shot and killed.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Buck Owens
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stevefunghini2733
great song and wonderfully sung from one of my favorite singers!
@archeoptryx1979
Love Patti Page, but this is a full on horror show. Such a beautiful voice but completely disconnected from the song/subject/audience