Cisco Houston Web Site

The Songs He Sang

Colorado Trail: Lyrics

As performed by Cisco Houston

Traditional

Appears on:
Eyes like the morning star, cheeks like the rose
Laura was a pretty girl, God Almighty knows

   Chorus:
   Weep all ye little rains, wail, winds, wail
   All along, along, along the Colorado Trail

Laura was a laughing girl, joyful all the day
Laura was a darling girl, now she's gone away

   Chorus:

Bright all the lonely night, bright all the day
Keep the herd a'rollin' on, rollin' on its way

   Chorus:

Of note:

With completely different verses, except for the first: Here.

Clearly some people, including the anonymous Best of the Vanguard years compiler, like this song. I hate it. The maudlin and sweet sounds unnatural and forced coming from Cisco; this is just not his best material. However, from the above link:

A cowboy love song. All sources point to a cowboy from Duluth, MN whose name is unknown. He was brought to the hospital after being thrown and trampled by what he called "a terribly bad hoss." A surgeon, Dr. T.L. Chapman, treated the wrangler for "bones of both upper and lower legs broken, fractures of the collar bone on both sides, numerous fractures of both arms and wrists, and many scars from lacerations."

As the unknown cowboy convalesced and his strength returned, he sang across the hospital ward in a mellowed tenor voice, and the other patients always called for more. One of the songs he sang was Colorado Trail.

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