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.
'Way Out There
Sons Of The Pioneers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the shadows have all the room
I was ridin' free on the old SP
Humming a southern tune
When a man came along made me hush my song
Kicked me off, way out there
As she pulled out of sight I turned to the right
But all I could see was a cactus tree
And a prairie dog playing there
I watched the prairie dog feed on the tumbleweed
That's his home, way out there
So I threw down my load in the desert road
Rested my weary legs too
I watched the sinking sun, make the tall shadows run
Out across that barren plain
Then I hummed a tune to the risin' moon
He gets lonesome way out there
So I closed my eyes to the starlit skies
And lost myself in dreams
I dreamed the desert sand was a milk and honey land
Then I awoke with a start
There the train comin' back on that one way track
Gonna take me away from here
As she was passin' by, I caught her on the fly
I climbed in an open door
Then I turned around to that desert ground
Saw the spot I would see no more
As I was ridin' away
I heard the pale moon say
Farewell pal
It sure gets lonesome here
The Sons of the Pioneers' song Way Out There is about a man who is traveling alone in the desert. He is on the old SP, a train that he was riding on while humming a southern tune. A man came along and kicked him off the train. He was left alone in a lonely spot where no man will go, with only a cactus tree and a prairie dog playing around, that’s their home "way out there."
The man, tired and weary, throws down his load on the desert road and sits to rest. As he watched the sinking sun, he hummed a tune to the risin' moon because he got lonesome way out there. He closed his eyes to the starlit skies and lost himself in dreams. In his dream, the desert sand was a milk and honey land. But just as he was starting to enjoy the moment, he was awakened by the sound of the train coming back on that one-way track to take him away from there.
As the train passes by, he quickly climbs in through an open door and turns around to see the spot where he was left behind. He hears the pale moon say farewell and realizes that it sure gets lonesome there in the desert. The song ends with a feeling of escaping loneliness and returning to people and civilization.
Line by Line Meaning
A lonely spot, I know where no man will go
I know a remote place where no one ever ventures
Where the shadows have all the room
A place where darkness and emptiness abound
I was ridin' free on the old SP
I was traveling freely on the old Southern Pacific train
Humming a southern tune
While singing a song native to the southern area
When a man came along made me hush my song
Suddenly, a man appeared who made me stop singing
Kicked me off, way out there
He forced me to disembark in the middle of nowhere
As she pulled out of sight I turned to the right
As the train disappeared from view I looked towards the right
A left and everywhere
I looked left, then around me
But all I could see was a cactus tree
Despite looking around I saw only a single cactus tree
And a prairie dog playing there
I saw a prairie dog having fun
I watched the prairie dog feed on the tumbleweed
I observed the prairie dog dining on a tumbleweed - all he had to eat out there
That's his home, way out there
This is the prairie dog's natural habitat in this desolate location
So I threw down my load in the desert road
I tossed my belongings to the ground on the sandy path
Rested my weary legs too
I took a break from walking and rested my tired legs
I watched the sinking sun, make the tall shadows run
I watched the sun setting, as it caused the long shadows to dissipate
Out across that barren plain
Across the desolate and uninhabited land
Then I hummed a tune to the risin' moon
I sang a song to the newly ascended moon
He gets lonesome way out there
The moon feels lonely in this remote location
So I closed my eyes to the starlit skies
I shut my eyes while gazing up at the starry night sky
And lost myself in dreams
I became engrossed in my daydreams
I dreamed the desert sand was a milk and honey land
I imagined that the desert changed into a fertile and abundant place
Then I awoke with a start
Sudden awakening interrupted my reverie
There the train comin' back on that one way track
The sound of the train's impending return snapped me back to reality
Gonna take me away from here
The train will transport me from this barren place
As she was passin' by, I caught her on the fly
While the train passed me by, I jumped aboard
I climbed in an open door
I scaled aboard through an unlocked entrance
Then I turned around to that desert ground
I spun around to face the area from which I just came
Saw the spot I would see no more
I glimpsed the place where I knew I'd never return
As I was ridin' away
As I journeyed further away
I heard the pale moon say
I heard the moon's voice in my head
Farewell pal
Goodbye, friend
It sure gets lonesome here
Being alone in this desolate place is difficult
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB NOLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joyce Brown
More people need to listen to this. My mother cried when I played it for her. She's in heaven now.
Emmi R
Yep, Bob Nolan; he wrote it as a young man while out wandering, riding the rails cross country. RIP, Mr. Nolan, and a huge thank you for the volumes and volumes of quality music you left behind for the world to enjoy. ❤
2000toddowen
It's great how their singing conjures up the imagery of a steam locomotive hauling through the Sonoran desert night, blowing its whistle. And I mean spot dead on imagery. Bob's such a transcendent songwriter. And Roy smiling and yodeling...Classic.
Frederick Wise
(I know it wasnt the Sonoran desert but...) Your comment brought to mind the night in Apr 1961, driving up the long grade on Rt66 into Albuquerque on my way to deployment on Guam, hearing the sounds of steam and the whistles in the yards down below. Music to the ears of a B&O 'prenticed' machinist who lost out to diesels in Jan '58 and joined the Navy in disgust. Id Like "One More Ride".
Alan De Souza Cruz
Amazing vocal harmonics
2000toddowen
This is an Western-American cultural archive and treasure. I wish we could all take a seat around that campfire and listen.
J R
Wow. As a millennial, watching this video is a very cathartic experience. It serves as an escape to a place in time that seems almost unimaginable given the current landscape of our country.
bruiser
That's some damned good harmony! A lot of today's acts could take lessons from the Pioneers.
Ed Taublieb
After listening to several people/groups do this song I finally found the original! What harmony-even on the yodeling. Those of us who know about the Roy Rodgers Martin OM-45 Deluxe will especially like seeing him playing it.
David Spencer
Love the voices of the "Sons of the Pioneers." My father, Kenneth Spencer, was asked to join the group but didn't. He had a wonderful voice just like his brother Tim. The whole Spencer family was into music in a big way. Miss all those family reunions at a restaurant in Lakewood California.