"Bury Me Not (On the Lone Prairie)" is a cowboy folk song. Also known as "The Cowboy's Lament", "The Dying Cowboy", "Bury Me Out (On the Lone Prairie)", and "(Oh) Bury Me Not", the song is described as the most famous cowboy ballad. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. Based on a sailor's song, the song has been recorded by many artists, including Moe Bandy, Johnny Cash, Cisco Houston, Burl Ives, Bruce Molsky, The Residents, Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers, Colter Wall and William Elliott Whitmore.
Background[]
The song was originally written in 1839 by Edwin Hubbell Chapin & George N. Allen. This version was titled 'The Sailors Grave (Ocean Burial)', and featured completely different lyrics. The later cowboy version was first published in 1910, with no credited writer.
The Residents[]
The song was first discovered by The Residents in 1987 in a collection of cowboy poems and songs, that inspired them to record a suite based around them.
The suite debuted at the 1987 live 'Boudisque' show, and later appeared in the March 1988 Off Beat Night Show.
The group recorded the song in 1987, and released it as part of the Buckaroo Blues suite on the UWEB exclusive album of the same name in January.
By July the track was performed at the first ever official Cube-E show, and continued to be performed for the rest of the shows run through 1990.
The song was revived in 2010, when it was performed as the encore to the Talking Light show, which ran from 2010 to 2011.
Lyrics[]
Oh bury me not on the lone prairie These words came slow and mournfully From the bleeding lips of a youth who lay On his dying bed at the close of day
He moaned in pain till over his head The shadows of death grew thick like lead He thought of his home and his family that night As the cowboys gathered to watch him die
Oh bury me not on the lone prairie Where the wild coyotes howl over me In a narrow grave just 6 by 3 Oh bury me not on the lone prairie
In dreams I listen to the well known words Of the wild free winds and the songs of birds I think of the table where my mama put flowers And the scenes I loved in those long lost hours
It matters not I've often been told Where the body lies When the heart grows cold Oh grant, oh grant, this wish to me And bury me not on the lone prairie
I've always wished to be laid when I die In the little churchyard on the green hillside By my mama's grave please let mine be And bury me not on the lone prairie
Oh bury me not- And his voice stopped there But we took no heed of his dying prayer In a narrow grave, just 6 by 3 We buried him there, on the long prairie
Releases[]
- Buckaroo Blues (1989)[Version 1]
- Buckaroo Blues & Black Barry (1989)[Version 2]
- Cube-E - Live In Holland (1990)[Version 3]
- In Memoriam Torso (1994)[Version 3]
- Land Of Mystery (1999)[Version 1]
- Live! ...On The Outskirts (2002)[Version 4]
- Kettles Of Fish On The Outskirts Of Town (2003)[Version 4]
- Cube-E (2006)[Version 3]
- El Año Del Muerto (2009)[Version 1]
- Talking Light Live In Rehearsal, Santa Cruz, California (2010) [Version 5]
- Talking Light Downloads (2010 - 2011) [Version 6][Version 7]
- Talking Light Bimbo's (2011)[Version 7]
- Talking Light: Bimbo's (2011)[Version 7]
- CUBE E Dynasone 3EZ (2011)[Version 3]
- Cube-E Box (2020)[Version 3][Version 8][Version 7][Version 2]