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.
Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet
Sons Of The Pioneers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we'll hitch all dovin' to the shade
Through those fields of clover
We'll go down to Dover on our golden wedding day
Old gray bonnet, ribbons on it
All dovin', shade
Fields of clover, down the Dover
Put on your old gray bonnet with the blue ribbons on it
Hitch all dovin' to the shade
Through those fields of clover
We gonna go down to Dover on our golden wedding day
Grey bonnet, ribbons on it
All dovin', shade
Fields of clover, down the Dover
Golden wedding day
Golden wedding day
Golden wedding day
Gonna go down on our golden wedding day
The lyrics to Sons of the Pioneers' song "Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet" describe a couple who are getting ready to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary by taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane. The singer of the song is encouraging his partner to wear her old gray bonnet with the blue ribbons on it, and they'll hitch their horses to the shade and journey through the fields of clover to Dover, where they were likely married. The song celebrates the history of a couple's love, weaving together memories of bygone days with a sense of enduring devotion.
The lyrics to "Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet" are particularly poignant given the cultural significance of golden wedding anniversaries. In the United States, these anniversaries are considered to be significant milestones, representing 50 years of marriage. The song speaks to the universal human experience of love and commitment, capturing the bittersweet nostalgia that often accompanies major milestones in life. At its heart, "Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet" is a song about the enduring power of love, and the ways in which shared memories can strengthen and sustain a long-term partnership.
Line by Line Meaning
Put on your old gray bonnet with the blue ribbons on it
Please wear your old gray hat that has blue ribbons on it
And we'll hitch all dovin' to the shade
We will attach ourselves to a resting place under the shade
Through those fields of clover
We will pass through the fields where clovers are blooming
We'll go down to Dover on our golden wedding day
We will travel down to Dover to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary
Golden wedding day
A special day celebrating a couple's 50th wedding anniversary
Gonna go down on our golden wedding day
We are going to travel to Dover to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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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)