Three Wheels on my Wagon
The New Christy Minstrels Lyrics


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Three wheels on my wagon,
And I'm still rolling along
The Cherokees are chasing me
Arrows fly, right on by
But I'm singing a happy song

I'm singing a higgity, haggity, hoggety, high
Pioneers, they never say die
A mile up the road there's a hidden cave
And we can watch those Cherokees
Go galloping by

SPOKEN: “George, they're catching up to us!”
“Get back in the wagon woman!”

Two wheels on my wagon,
And I'm still rolling along
Them Cherokees are after me
Flaming spears, burn my ears
But I'm singing a happy song

I'm singing a higgity, haggity hoggety, high
Pioneers, they never say die
Half a mile up the road there's a hidden cave
And we can watch those Cherokees
Go galloping by

SPOKEN: “Duh, Paw? Are you sure this is the right road?”
“Will you hush up? You and your maps!”

One wheel on my wagon,
And I'm still rolling along
Them Cherokees after me
I'm all in flames, at the reins




But I'm singing a happy song

I'm singing a higgity, haggity hoggety, high
Pioneers, they never say die
Right around that turn there's a hidden cave
And we can watch those Cherokees
Go galloping by

SPOKEN: “George? Should I get the bag of beads and trinkets?”
“Woman, I know what I'm doing!”

No wheels on my wagon,
So I'm not rolling along
The Cherokees captured me
They look mad, things look bad
But I'm singing a happy song

SPOKEN: “C'mon all you Cherokees sing along with me!”

Higgity, haggity hoggety, high
Pioneers, they never say die…

Overall Meaning

The New Christy Minstrels’s song “Three Wheels on my Wagon” tells the humorous story of a pioneer’s journey being chased by Native Americans. Initially, the pioneer has three wheels on his wagon and he is singing a happy song as he enjoys watching the Cherokees chasing him while their arrows fly right by him. The pioneer is confident because he knows of a hidden cave that is only a mile up the road where he and his companion can watch the Cherokees ride by, letting him continue fending them off with his laughter. However, the chase isn’t over yet, and with two wheels on the wagon things become more challenging for the couple. The Cherokees have upgraded to flaming spears which burn the couple's ears while they try to fend them off. The pioneer is still confident and knows they can watch the Cherokees go by from their hidden cave which is only half a mile away.


The situation becomes more dire when the couple are left with only one wheel, and they are still rolling along, still being pursued. The situation becomes dangerous with the pioneers engulfed in flames and the Cherokees almost taking them captive. Nevertheless, the couple still manage to continue to sing their happy song and encourage the Cherokees, whom the pioneers have come to appreciate, to join in. In the end, the song reveals that the couple was captured - higgity, haggity, hoggety, high the pioneers would never say die.


Line by Line Meaning

Three wheels on my wagon
My wagon has three wheels.


And I'm still rolling along
I'm still moving forward despite the challenges.


The Cherokees are chasing me
The Cherokees are pursuing me.


Arrows fly
The Cherokees are shooting arrows at me.


Right on by
Fortunately, the arrows are missing me.


But I'm singing a happy song
I'm keeping a positive attitude despite the situation.


I'm singing a higgity, haggity, hoggety, high
I'm singing a fun, upbeat tune.


Pioneers, they never say die
Pioneers are determined and resilient.


A mile up the road there's a hidden cave
There is a hidden cave one mile away where we could hide.


And we can watch those Cherokees
We can observe the Cherokees from a safe distance.


Go galloping by
They will run past us quickly.


"George, they're catching up to us!"
Someone named George is being warned that the Cherokees are closing in.


"Get back in the wagon woman!"
Someone named George is telling a woman to get back in the wagon for safety.


Two wheels on my wagon
Two of the wheels on my wagon have been lost.


Them Cherokees are after me
The Cherokees are still pursuing me.


Flaming spears
The Cherokees have switched to throwing flaming spears.


Burn my ears
The spears are uncomfortably close.


But I'm singing a happy song
Despite the chaos, I'm still remaining positive.


Half a mile up the road there's a hidden cave
We're getting closer to the hidden cave that would provide safety.


Duh, Paw? Are you sure this is the right road?
Someone is questioning whether they're on the correct path.


"Will you hush up? You and your maps!"
Someone is annoyed with another person for questioning their sense of direction.


One wheel on my wagon
Only one wheel remains on my wagon.


And I'm still rolling along
I'm still managing to move forward despite the situation.


Them Cherokees after me
The Cherokees are still pursuing me relentlessly.


I'm all in flames
I'm on fire.


At the reins
I'm still trying to guide the wagon.


But I'm singing a happy song
Despite being on fire, I'm still in good spirits.


Right around that turn there's a hidden cave
The hidden cave is just around the corner now.


And we can watch those Cherokees
If we make it to the cave, we can observe the Cherokees from a distance.


Go galloping by
They will run past us quickly.


"George? Should I get the bag of beads and trinkets?"
Someone named George is being asked about using a bag of beads and trinkets as a distraction.


"Woman, I know what I'm doing!"
George is confident in his plan and doesn't need any suggestions.


No wheels on my wagon
All of the wheels on my wagon are gone.


So I'm not rolling along
Without any wheels, the wagon can't move anymore.


The Cherokees captured me
Finally, the Cherokees have caught up to me and have me captured.


They look mad
The Cherokees look angry.


Things look bad
The situation is looking bleak.


But I'm singing a happy song
Even though I've been captured, I'm still trying to stay positive.


"C'mon all you Cherokees, sing along with me!"
Instead of being afraid, I'm encouraging the Cherokees to join me in song.


Higgity, haggity hoggety, high
I'm singing a fun, upbeat tune with nonsense words.


Pioneers, they never say die
I'm using a line from my song to remind myself and others to stay positive and resilient.


Higgity, haggity hoggety, high
I'm still singing my fun, upbeat tune.


Pioneers, they never say die
I'm repeating the line to really emphasize its message.


Higgity, haggity hoggety, high
I'm ending my song on a positive note, despite my situation.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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Craig Gardiner


on The Cotton Pickers' Song

Springfield Fair by Randy Sparks & Nick Woods

Soldier, soldier come with me, we'll go down to the fair.
Oh, how can I go and be your beau when I got no shoes to wear?
i'll go down to the cobbler shop and get you the finest there.
They'll look so neat upon your feet
as we go down to the Springfield Fair, we go down to the fair.

Soldier, soldier come with me, we'll go down to the fair.
Oh, how can I go and be your beau when I got no suit to wear?
I'll go down to the tailor shop and get you the finest there.
You'll look so cute in your brand new suit
as we go down to the Springfield Fair, we go down to the fair.

Soldier, soldier come with me, we'll go down to the fair.
Oh, how can I go and be your beau when I got no hat to wear?
Well, I'll go down to the hatter's shop and get you the finest there.
Imagine that, a fine silk hat,
now we'll go down to the Springfield Fair we'll go down to the fair.

Now you're dressed from head to toe
and I just can't wait to go.

Soldier, soldier come with me, we'll go down to the fair.
Oh, how can I go and be your beau, when I got no way to get you there,
down to the Springfield fair.
Well, I'll go down to the carriage house and get you the finest there,
Side by side is how we'll ride as we go down to the Springfield Fair
we go down to the fair.

Soldier, please come with me, we'll go down to the fair.
Oh, how can I go and be your beau when my wife and fourteen kids are there
the wife and the kids are there.

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