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.
Sing Cowboy Sing
Sons Of The Pioneers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Without the taste of water, cool water
Old Dan and I with throats burned dry
And souls that cry for water, cool, clear water
[Chorus]
Keep a-movin', Dan, don't you listen to him, Dan
He's a devil not a man
Dan can you see that big green tree
Where the water's runnin' free
And it's waiting there for you and me
The nights are cool and I'm a fool
Each star's a pool of water, cool water
But with the dawn I'll wake and yawn
And carry on to water, cool, clear, water
The shadows sway and seem to say
Tonight we pray for water, cool, water
And way up there He'll hear our prayer
And show us where there's water, cool, clear, water
Dan's feet are sore he's yearning for
Just one thing more than water, cool, water
Like me I guess he'd like to rest
Where there's no quest for water, cool, clear, water
The song "Cool Water" tells the story of two cowboys, one of whom is named Dan. They are lost in the barren desert without any water, and they are desperately searching for a source of water to quench their thirst. They are so parched that they are beginning to suffer the ill effects of dehydration. As they travel through the hot and arid wasteland, they dream of the cool and clear water that awaits them in a green oasis. The song is a meditation on the human need for water and how this need can dominate one's thoughts and actions when they are lost in the desert.
The lyrics are full of symbolism and metaphors that reflect the harsh and unforgiving landscape of the desert. The "burning sand" represents the heat and dryness of the desert, and the "big green tree where the water's runnin' free" represents the oasis. The line "each star's a pool of water" is a metaphorical description of how the stars look to someone who is dehydrated and delirious. The song ends with the cowboys still searching for water, with no guarantee that they will find it, but they are sustained by their hope and faith in a higher power that will guide them to safety.
Line by Line Meaning
All day I've faced the barren waste
I have spent the entire day in a deserted and lifeless land
Without the taste of water, cool water
I have been unable to quench my thirst with refreshing water
Old Dan and I with throats burned dry
My old horse Dan and I have dry throats that have been burnt by the scorching heat
And souls that cry for water, cool, clear water
Both Dan and I are exhausted and in desperate need of cool, clear water to revive ourselves
Keep a-movin', Dan, don't you listen to him, Dan
Let's keep moving, Dan, don't be affected by the devilish voice tempting you to rest
He's a devil not a man
The voice tempting us to rest is like a devilish creature, not a human being
And he spreads the burning sand with water
The devilish voice deceives us as he makes us believe that the burning sand beneath our feet is actually water
Dan can you see that big green tree
Dan, can you see that tall tree with green leaves
Where the water's runnin' free
The water is flowing freely from the ground near that big green tree
And it's waiting there for you and me
The water from the tree is still untapped and waiting for us to drink and quench our thirst
The nights are cool and I'm a fool
The nights bring cooler temperatures that cool us down and make us feel foolish for not finding water earlier
Each star's a pool of water, cool water
The stars in the sky reflect in my eyes, making me imagine that they are pools of refreshing water
But with the dawn I'll wake and yawn
When the sun rises, I will wake up and yawn out of my exhaustion
And carry on to water, cool, clear, water
I will continue moving forward until I find real, refreshing water
The shadows sway and seem to say
The shadows of the night seem to be swaying, as if they are speaking to me
Tonight we pray for water, cool, water
Tonight we pray for the chance to finally drink cool, refreshing water
And way up there He'll hear our prayer
God above will hear our prayer for water
And show us where there's water, cool, clear, water
God will guide us to where we can find real, refreshing water
Dan's feet are sore he's yearning for
Dan's feet are hurting and he, too, is yearning for
Just one thing more than water, cool, water
One thing more important than drinking water: rest
Like me I guess he'd like to rest
Like me, Dan also wants to rest and be free from this endless search for water
Where there's no quest for water, cool, clear, water
Dan and I both long for a safe haven that is free from the constant search for water, and where it is readily available
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)