Discography
Albums;
1959-Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks
1960-Sing Again with the Chipmunks
1960-Around the World with the Chipmunks
1961-The Alvin Show
1962-Christmas with the Chipmunks, Vol. 1
1962-The Chipmunk Songbook
1963-Christmas with the Chipmunks, Vol. 2
1964-The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits
1965-The Chipmunks a Go-Go
1965-The Chipmunks Sing with Children
1968-The Chipmunks See Doctor Dolittle
1969-The Chipmunks Go to the Movies
1980-Chipmunk Punk
1981-A Chipmunk Christmas
1981-Urban Chipmunk
1982-Chipmunk Rock
1982-The Chipmunks Go Hollywood
1984-Alvin and the Chipmunks: Original Television Soundtrack Recording
1987-The Chipmunk Adventure
1990-Rockin' Through the Decades
1992-In Low Places (Label: Sony Wonder, ASIN B0000028T3)
1992-Greatest Hits
1993-The Alternative Alvin (Label: SST, SST 226)
1993-Alvin's Christmas Carol
1993-Sing-Alongs
1994-Here's Looking at Me!
1995-Alvin's Daydreams
1995-Chipmunk Celebration
1995-Easter Chipmunk
1995-When You Wish Upon A Chipmunk
1995-A Very Merry Chipmunk
1995-The Very Best of The Chipmunks
1996-Club Chipmunk: The Dance Mixes
1998-The A-Files: Alien Songs
1999-Greatest Hits: Still Squeaky After All These Years
2003-Merry Christmas from the Chipmunks
2004-Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks
Singles;
1958-"The Chipmunk Song" (US #1)
1959-"Alvin's Harmonica"
1960-"Ragtime Cowboy Joe"
1960-"Alvin's Orchestra"
1960-"Alvin for President"
1962-"America the Beautiful"
1960-"Rudolph, the Red-Reindeer"
1962-"The Alvin Twist"
1963-"Alvin's All Star Chipmunk Band"
1963-"Eefin' Alvin"
1963-"The Night Before Christmas"
1964-"All My Lovin'" (Beatles cover)
1965-"Do-re-mi"
1965-"I'm Henry VIII"
1968-"If I Could Talk to the Animals"
1968-"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"
1980-"You May Be Right"
1980-"Call Me"
1981-"On The Road Again"
1981-"I Love A Rainy Night"
1982-"Heartbreaker"
1982-"E.T. And Me"
1983-"We're The Chipmunks/Beat It" (Michael Jackson cover)
1984-"Let's All Be There" (for NBC)
1985-"What Were You Doing At The Time?"
1985-"Sunday Bloody Sunday" (U2 cover)
1987-"The Girls of Rock & Roll"
1990-"Jingle Bells Finale"
1993-"Achy Breaky Heart" (Billy Ray Cyrus cover; 45, 1993, Epic 74776)
1994-"I Don't Want To Be Alone For Christmas (Unless I'm Alone With You)" (actually performed by James Ingram)
1996-"Macarena"
2002-"In Charge but Not Involved"
2003-"Remember A Day"
Ragtime Cowboy Joe
The Chipmunks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the only friend to guide you is an Evening Star,
The roughest, toughest man by far
Is Ragtime Cowboy Joe.
Got his name from singing to the cows and sheep
Every night they say he sings the herd to sleep
In a basso rich and deep,
Crooning soft and low
How he sings raggy music to his cattle
As he swings back and forward in his saddle
On his horse (a pretty good horse)
Who is syncopated gaited
And with such a funny meter
To the roar of his repeater
How they run when they hear the feller's gun
Because the western folks all know:
He's a hifalootin' scootin', shootin'
Son-of-a-gun from Arizona
Ragtime cowboy (talk about your cowboy)
Ragtime cowboy Joe.
Dressed up ev'ry Sunday in his Sunday clothes
He beats it for the village where he always goes,
And ev'ry girl in town is Joe's
'Cause he's a ragtime bear;
When he starts a-spieling on the dance hall floor,
No one but a lunatic would start a war
Wise men know his forty-four
Makes men dance for fair.
The lyrics to The Chipmunks’s song, Ragtime Cowboy Joe, narrate the tale of a cowboy named Joe, a rugged and tough man who lives in Arizona. The song opens with the description of the land, a place where the bad men roam free and the only friend is an Evening Star. Amidst such circumstances exists Joe, the roughest and toughest man by far, who is known for his ragtime music. The moniker ‘Ragtime Cowboy Joe’ comes from his habit of singing to the cattle, and they respond to his basso-rich voice by falling asleep. The song continues with how he swings back and forwards on his horse, which is ‘syncopated gaited,’ as he sings raggy music to his cattle. His horse has a funny meter to the rhythm of the repeater, a word play describing his gun, which makes the cattle run with fear.
Line by Line Meaning
Out in Arizona where the bad men are,
Arizona is known for having notorious criminals.
And the only friend to guide you is an Evening Star,
The stars are the only source of light in the desert.
The roughest, toughest man by far
Ragtime Cowboy Joe is the toughest man around.
Is Ragtime Cowboy Joe.
Ragtime Cowboy Joe is the name of the toughest man.
Got his name from singing to the cows and sheep
He is known for singing while herding the cattle.
Every night they say he sings the herd to sleep
His singing helps the cows sleep at night.
In a basso rich and deep,
His voice is low and resonant.
Crooning soft and low
He sings in a gentle and soothing manner.
How he sings raggy music to his cattle
He sings a ragtime tune while herding the cattle.
As he swings back and forward in his saddle
He rhythmically moves back and forth while riding his horse.
On his horse (a pretty good horse)
His horse is skillful and reliable.
Who is syncopated gaited
His horse has a unique rhythmic gait.
And with such a funny meter
The rhythm of his horse's gait is amusing.
To the roar of his repeater
He shoots his gun in the air as he rides his horse.
How they run when they hear the feller's gun
The cattle run away when they hear the sound of his gun.
Because the western folks all know:
People in the west are familiar with his reputation.
He's a hifalootin' scootin', shootin'
He is a skilled marksman who rides his horse with confidence.
Son-of-a-gun from Arizona
He is a tough and respected cowboy from Arizona.
Ragtime cowboy (talk about your cowboy)
He is a cowboy known for his ragtime music.
Ragtime cowboy Joe.
The name of the cowboy is Ragtime Cowboy Joe.
Dressed up ev'ry Sunday in his Sunday clothes
He wears his best clothes on Sundays.
He beats it for the village where he always goes,
He heads to the village where he is well-known.
And ev'ry girl in town is Joe's
All the girls in the village are fond of him.
'Cause he's a ragtime bear;
He is a fun-loving and entertaining person.
When he starts a-spieling on the dance hall floor,
He loves to dance at the local dance hall.
No one but a lunatic would start a war
Nobody would dare to fight with him.
Wise men know his forty-four
He is skilled at handling his revolver.
Makes men dance for fair.
His reputation makes people dance in awe of him.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GRANT CLARKE, MAURICE ABRAHAMS, LEWIS MUIR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Debbie King
I've had this song stuck in my head for several days....now I remember where/when I heard it. I had the record when I was a kid.....great memories ♥
JohnCee754
Oh my! I haven't heard this in about 50 years! Boy does this bring back memories! Thank you for posting this!
fishy paw
My dad had this on old 45rpm seven inch vinyl. When I was six years old it was the best song in the world, EVER!
Smoky John
OMG! I haven't heard this for about 50 years. Brings back so many memories of listening to Uncle Mac on the Light Programme.
dizzyprincess20
This is a wonderful song. I lost the cassette tape with it on it. This, Alvin's Harmonica, and Alvin's Orchestra are my favorite songs by The Chipmunks.
Tom Hoehler
What a great song! What great memories this brings back! I loved the Alvin show on Saturday mornings! Thanks for posting.
Steve Palmer
Ah, I remember putting this on for my kids when they were young, imagine my horror when I heard my eldest singing sly wankers instead of side winders! I can laugh now, but it was really embarrassing when we had friends around. Still don't know where he heard that language, unless he heard his mother talking about me whilst I was at work! 🤔
wmdmtnman
every time I go out with a bandanna over my face, I hear this in my head... still own the 45
LadyMoondancer
ALVIN!!! One of my favorites from when I was a kid. I still have the 45 record.
Mac Potts
The Chipmunks are the the only reason I know this song, lol! It's wonderful.