The New Chisholm Trail Song

Here is a video of Alexander and me singing our new verses to the Old Chisholm Trail song. You may recognize some of Alexander's favorite phrases that we hear a dozen times per day: "All day long," "Of course," and "Bigger than you've never seen before." I suppose our verses are more about a round up than a trail drive, but we've got round ups on the brain.

I'll write the words to the song below. Sadie and Amanda (and anyone else, I suppose), let me know if you would like me to email you the audio recording to add to your cowboy music collection.

I should add that (supposedly) there were over 150 verses to the original song. Cowboys used to sing it along the trail, making up their own verses. That is why we decided to write our own version.






The Old Chisholm Trail Song
Verses by Alexander and Brittany Henage
January 21, 2009

We want to have fun - rounding up the cattle
It's so - much - fun to ride in a saddle
(chorus:)
Come a ti yi yippy, yippy yay, yippy yay,
Come a ti yi yippy, yippy yay

Champion is the name of my bucking bronco horse*
I love to ride him all - day - long, of course
(chorus)

The longhorn cattle run all over - the - land
So I've gotta mark them with - the Horseshoe Ranch** brand
(chorus)

I tie up three legs and the calf says "moo!"
Gonna brand him with the red - hot- iron horseshoe
(chorus)

I lasso all the cattle with my rope, rope, rope
Then I have to wash my hands with soap, soap, soap
(chorus)

I like to make biscuits and eat - some - more
At the biggest chuck wagon that you've never seen before
(chorus)

We go in the middle of the Old Chisholm Trail
We go to take the cattle to the new train rail
(chorus)

The End
*Champion was Gene Autry's horse, who Alexander named his rocking horse after. Gene Autry is the current favorite celebrity of our household. Daniel only just today realized Gene was a man.

**Alexander made up the Horseshoe Ranch himself while we were writing the song. I'm not sure where that came from. We named our own "ranch" the "Medium Fantastic Family Corral at the Happy Henage Ranch" at the beginning of the year (Alexander wanted Medium Fantastic Family and I wanted Happy Henage, so we combined them).

Numbers Round Up Rodeo

One day Amanda surprised us with a special invitation to a Number Round Up Rodeo to be held the next day at the Bald Eagle Ranch (the Amakasu's house). At the rodeo the kids "competed" in lots of fun cowhand events to help them learn their numbers better (particularly 10-20).

Even Lincoln participated. Here he's moving numbered cattle from one corral (wall) to another.


Alexander is "cutting" the calves from the rest of the herd (in the bowl)


Peter and the bucking bronco


Owen shows off his bronco-busting skills


Owen "branded" this cow with the number ten

Alexander tries his hand at rope-throwing


Here the kids are making bracelets from foam barnyard animals.


What roundup wouldn't be complete without biscuits from the chuckwagon? These are sweetened up with brown sugar and cinnamon.


The boys at the awards ceremony. They received beautiful hand-painted medals from Amanda.


Alexander recieved the "Best Round-up Rookie" award


Peter got "Best Cow Hand"


Owen got the "Best Bronco Buster" award


Next we took cowboy pictures like the real cowboys often did at the end of a long cattle drive. Here's lincoln. He's holding his belt buckle instead of wearing it.


Cowboy Pete. He's got his rope ready for any runaway steers.


This cowboy doesn't mess around. Owen poses with serious cowboy scowl.


Alexander wouldn't pose, so I Photoshopped a video still from his bronc ride.

P.S. I've been trying to post this for over a week, but the videos keep failing. I guess Alexander just won't get his lassoing featured because this is dragging on too much.

The Old Cattle Trails

Peter put the old cattle trails on our map with yarn. We passed through the Western, Chisholm, Shawnee and Goodnight-Loving trails on our trip. I wish I had been aware!