Go West Young Man
The Andrews Sisters & Bing Crosby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm sure that you agree with me that Greeley was no fool
What he is getting at is that Mr Greeley was no fool
Boy The wisdom of the man can be denied by none
For he's the one that said
Before you go to Buffalo to Baltimore or Borneo
To Eastern Pennsylvania or Japan
If you go to that land, sonny
You will have a lot of money
If you bring the money with you when you come
To the lone prairie, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
Yippi-yi-yi-yi!
Yippi-yi, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
Before you read a travel ad
And scamper off to Trinidad
Too often in New York and Yucatan
Go west! Young man
In the East they live on doughnuts
In the West the natives grow up
And I guarantee you go nuts if you come
To the lone prairie, yippi-yay, yippi-yay
Yippi-yay-yay-yay!
Yippi-yi, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
A cowboy's gal is a real true pal
She will stick to him right or wrong
Right or wrong
She don't say nothing
And she don't do nothing
And she don't know nothing
And she don't want nothing but a horse
And a cowboy, for she's just keeps rolling along
Go west! Young man
Go where the airport's tearing the chest, young man
You can ride a bucking bronco or a pony
You can cut a calf in half and make baloney
Go west! Young man
Go right up there and give 'em the very best you can
Don't go east, don't go south, don't go north, have a care
Don't go up, don't go down, don't go here, don't go there
If it's true what they say about Dixie
Go West! Young man
Go out and till the soil there
Dig for gold and you'll find oil there
Where the crow flies, where the snow flies, go, there's no "no"!
If you are fond of hunting there's no place that can compare
You may not bag a lion or a tiger or a bear
But if you want a jack-ass there are plenty of them there
Go West! Young Man
The judges there are very fair, they always are of course!
A cowboy and his Mrs went to court for a divorce
The cowboy got the children and the Mrs got the horse
All Go west! Young man
Yi-hi!
The lyrics to the Andrews Sisters/Bing Crosby's song Go West Young Man were written to promote the idea of the Western expansion of the United States. The chorus repeated the phrase "Go west young man" for emphasis throughout the song, stressing the importance of traveling towards the West. The song seemed to suggest that the West held the promise of wealth and adventure, with lyrics like "If you go to that land, sonny, you will have a lot of money." It also describes the West as being a place for cowboys and wildlife hunting, and even includes a humorous anecdote about a cowboy and his divorce settlement. Overall, the lyrics promote the notion that the future and success lie in traveling to the West.
Line by Line Meaning
Mr Horace Greeley was no fool
I'm sure that you agree with me that Greeley was no fool
What he is getting at is that Mr Greeley was no fool
The wisdom of the man can be denied by none
Boy The wisdom of the man can be denied by none
For he's the one that said
Before you go to Buffalo to Baltimore or Borneo
If you go to that land, sonny
To Eastern Pennsylvania or Japan
You will have a lot of money
Go west! Young man
If you bring the money with you when you come
If you go to that land, sonny
To the lone prairie, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
You will have a lot of money
Yippi-yi-yi-yi! Yippi-yi, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
Before you read a travel ad
In the East they live on doughnuts
And scamper off to Trinidad
In the West the natives grow up
Too often in New York and Yucatan
And I guarantee you go nuts if you come
Go west! Young man
To the lone prairie, yippi-yay, yippi-yay
In the East they live on doughnuts
Yippi-yay-yay-yay! Yippi-yi, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
A cowboy's gal is a real true pal
She will stick to him right or wrong
She don't say nothing
Right or wrong
And she don't do nothing
She don't say nothing
And she don't know nothing
And she don't do nothing
And she don't want nothing but a horse
And she don't know nothing
And a cowboy, for she's just keeps rolling along
And she don't want nothing but a horse
Go west! Young man
Go where the airport's tearing the chest, young man
Go where the airport's tearing the chest, young man
You can ride a bucking bronco or a pony
You can ride a bucking bronco or a pony
You can cut a calf in half and make baloney
You can cut a calf in half and make baloney
Go right up there and give 'em the very best you can
Go right up there and give 'em the very best you can
Don't go east, don't go south, don't go north, have a care
Don't go east, don't go south, don't go north, have a care
Don't go up, don't go down, don't go here, don't go there
Don't go up, don't go down, don't go here, don't go there
If it's true what they say about Dixie
If it's true what they say about Dixie
Go out and till the soil there
Go out and till the soil there
Dig for gold and you'll find oil there
Dig for gold and you'll find oil there
Where the crow flies, where the snow flies, go, there's no "no"!
Where the crow flies, where the snow flies, go, there's no "no"!
If you are fond of hunting there's no place that can compare
If you are fond of hunting there's no place that can compare
You may not bag a lion or a tiger or a bear
You may not bag a lion or a tiger or a bear
But if you want a jack-ass there are plenty of them there
But if you want a jack-ass there are plenty of them there
The judges there are very fair, they always are of course!
The judges there are very fair, they always are of course!
A cowboy and his Mrs went to court for a divorce
A cowboy and his Mrs went to court for a divorce
The cowboy got the children and the Mrs got the horse
The cowboy got the children and the Mrs got the horse
All Go west! Young man
All Go west! Young man
Yi-hi!
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERT KALMAR, HARRY RUBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind