Dawson was the son of a big band leader, and started working in music in his teens. He was signed to the Swan label, owned by Dick Clark, but Clark's involvement the 1950s radio payola scandal ended the Swan label and left Dawson without a record contract. As a studio musician, he is heard playing drums on the hit song "Hey Baby" by Bruce Channel and "Hey Paula" by Paul and Paula.
He succumbed to throat cancer at the age of 64 in 2003.
Riders in the Sky
Ronnie Dawson Lyrics
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Upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way,
When all at once a mighty herd of red-eyed cows he saw,
A ploughin' through the ragged skies
And up a cloudy draw.
Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o,
The ghost herd in the sky.
Their horns wuz 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 cry.
Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o,
Ghost riders in the sky.
Their faces gaunt their eyes were blurred and shirts all soaked
With sweat,
They're ridin' hard to catch that herd but they ain't caught them yet
'Cause they've got to ride forever on that range up in the sky,
On horses snortin' fire
As they ride on, hear their cry.
Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o,
Ghost riders in the sky.
As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his name,
"If you want to save your soul from hell a-riding on our range,
Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride
A-try'ng to catch the devil's herd
Across these endless skies."
Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o,
The ghost herd in the sky.
Ghost riders in the sky.
The lyrics of Ronnie Dawson's "Riders in the Sky" describe a thrilling story of a cowboy who encounters a ghostly herd of cows and their riders while riding on a ridge on a dark and windy day. The imagery painted in the song is one of horror and awe as the cowpoke sees the red-eyed cows ploughing through the ragged skies, followed by their ghostly riders chasing after them. The chorus "Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o, Ghost riders in the sky" repeats several times throughout the song, creating a sense of tension, mystery, and the supernatural.
The cowboy in the song becomes frightened as he sees the ghostly riders coming hard, and he hears their mournful cry. The riders' faces are gaunt, their eyes blurred, and their shirts soaked with sweat, as they ride hard to catch the devil's herd. The chorus reappears, adding to the sense of fear and urgency. The cowboy hears one rider calling his name, warning him of the danger of joining the devil's herd and challenging him to change his ways to save his soul.
Line by Line Meaning
An old cowpoke went riding out one dark and windy day,
An elderly cowboy went for a ride on a dark and windy day.
Upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way,
He halted on a ridge to take some rest while he continued his journey.
When all at once a mighty herd of red-eyed cows he saw,
He suddenly spotted a large herd of menacing red-eyed cows.
A ploughin' through the ragged skies
The cows were moving through the sky, creating a ragged sight.
And up a cloudy draw.
They were ascending a cloudy pathway.
Their brands were still on fire and their hooves was made of steel,
The cows' brands were still hot as they galloped with hooves made of steel.
Their horns wuz black and shiny and their hot breath he could feel,
Their horns were dark and gleaming, and he could sense their hot breath.
A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the sky,
As they raced through the sky, he was struck with a bolt of anxiety.
For he saw the riders comin' hard
He witnessed riders approaching quickly.
And he heard their mournful cry.
He listened to their sorrowful howl.
Their faces gaunt their eyes were blurred and shirts all soaked With sweat,
Their faces were weary, their eyes foggy, and their shirts drenched with sweat.
They're ridin' hard to catch that herd but they ain't caught them yet
They were riding vigorously to apprehend the herd, but they had not succeeded yet.
Cause they've got to ride forever on that range up in the sky,
They were fated to ride forever on the range in the sky.
On horses snortin' fire As they ride on, hear their cry.
They were riding horses that snorted fire, and their cry echoed as they went on.
As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his name,
As the riders went past him, one of them called out to him by name.
"If you want to save your soul from hell a-riding on our range,
"If you want to protect your soul from damnation while riding on our range,
Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride
then, cowboy, modify your ways promptly, or you will ride with us.
A-try'ng to catch the devil's herd Across these endless skies."
attempting to arrest the devil's herd over these interminable skies."
Ghost riders in the sky.
Riders of the ghost herd in the sky.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Stanley Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind