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.
St. Louis Blues
Sons Of The Pioneers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hate to see that evening sun go down
Cause my baby, he's gone left this town
Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
If I'm feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
I'll pack my truck and make my give-a-way
Pulls that man around by her, if it wasn't for her and her
That man I love would have gone nowhere, nowhere
I got the St. Louis blues, blues as I can be
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me
I love my baby like a school boy loves his pie
Like a Kentucky colonel loves his mint 'n rye
I love my man till the day I die
The song "St. Louis Blues" by Sons of the Pioneers expresses the feelings of a person who has been left behind by their lover. The song begins with a feeling of despair as the singer laments the departure of their lover. They hate to see the evening sun go down because it reminds them that their lover is not with them anymore. The singer is feeling the same way today as they think they will feel tomorrow, which is a sense of loss and emptiness. They feel compelled to leave town and start over because they cannot bear the thought of being alone.
The next verse highlights the role of another woman in the singer's heartache. The St. Louis woman with her diamond ring has taken away the singer's lover, and without her influence, the singer believes that they would still be together. The chorus of the song repeats the line "I got the St. Louis blues" which is a metaphor for the depression and sadness that the singer is feeling. They describe their lover's heart as being like a rock cast in the sea which implies that their lover is unyielding and unresponsive to their emotions. The song ends with the singer proclaiming their love for their man until the day they die.
Overall, the song is an expression of heartache and loss. It highlights the impact that ongoing feelings of sadness and despair can have on a person, and how this can lead to drastic decisions such as leaving town. The lyrics also reflect on the influence of external forces on relationships, such as the involvement of another person and how this can cause people to drift apart.
Line by Line Meaning
I hate to see that evening sun go down
The singer is saddened by the end of the day.
I hate to see that evening sun go down
The singer is also upset because their lover has left town.
Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
The singer is worried that they will feel just as bad tomorrow as they do today.
If I'm feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
Because they are so upset, the singer believes they will leave town tomorrow.
I'll pack my truck and make my give-a-way
The singer plans to leave town and start a new life somewhere else.
St. Louis woman with her diamond ring
The singer sees a woman in St. Louis who has a lot of money and status.
Pulls that man around by her, if it wasn't for her and her
This woman has a lot of control over the man she is with.
That man I love would have gone nowhere, nowhere
If it weren't for this woman, the singer's lover would have stayed with them.
I got the St. Louis blues, blues as I can be
The singer is in a deep state of sadness because their lover has left them.
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
The singer believes that their lover has a very hard, unfeeling heart.
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me
The singer thinks that their lover must not really care about them since they left town.
I love my baby like a school boy loves his pie
The singer loves their lover with great intensity.
Like a Kentucky colonel loves his mint 'n rye
This love is similar to how someone might love their favorite food or drink.
I love my man till the day I die
The singer declares their undying love for their departed lover.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, HANDY BROTHERS MUSIC CO.,INC., Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: William Christopher Handy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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)