5 thoughts on “Johno sent this to me, he had no idea Marty Robbins, El Paso City is my most favorite song, thanks Johno!”
I sometimes listen to Robbins’ Gunslinger Ballads CD. I’d rather not hear much of modern US Country music, but old Western songs are still good.
Some Aussie Country music is good, like The Bushwhackers, who sang a lot of Australianana, much of which is based on music that original settlers, usually Irish immigrants, brought from their old country. The band also often put me great author Henry Lawson’s prose and poetry to music.
In pioneering days, writing prose and poetry wasn’t thought of as sissy, but was a highly regarded trait among 19th century people, especially in the remote areas. For a stockman or a swaggie humping his bluey from station to station •, having a poem printed in The Bulletin was enough to be held in high regard indeed.
• a swagman, not necessarily a bludger at all, rarely had a horse, and Australia didn’t have the rail network, or population to support one, of the American country, so had to walk: to ride Shanks’ pony, to hump his bluey (swag), to waltz Matilda, from ranch to farm. Often paid in kind, barely enough for a subsistence diet, when it was time to move on, they would get some tea and sugar, and enough flour to cook a couple of dampers in campfire ashes, it often being many days walk to the next station, or landholding. If lucky, the cockie’s wife took pity and gave them some meat.
Such an itinerant existence was only possible in the southern colonies, in the more remote areas of Queensland, Western Australia or the Northern Territory, such was not a good idea, even up to the mid 1890s, unless there were several armed men together. Calculations by historians later showed that in Queensland in particular, fully 10% of men travelling on foot simply never arrived at their nominal destination during the unsettled year’s of our history.
While such is now decried by the black armband wearers among revisionist academics, blaming poor record keeping among officials of the time, and the strong anti-authoritarian attitudes of most Aussies and immigrants of the time, especially miners during the various gold rushes, the simple truth is that the missing people improved the diet of wild bush blacks. Chinamen were especially sought by the blacks, favouring their flavour over the rank taste of Europeans, who usually lived a hard life on little food.
Surely such must rank as the original Chinese takeaway, or food delivery? I just thought I’d get that in before Cederq did!
I apologise if I’ve made mistakes, I cannot see the phone screen too well.
I’d understand anyone putting the above in the TL:DR basket, but I cannot help it, it just appears on my phone. Don’t blame me!
You ought to see the letters that I write. Or not.
Marty has been one of my favorites since I was a kid and El Paso City one of the best. Loved seeing the video and hearing the song again. Thanks.
Cool water.
I was 13 years old when WBAP played that song on an early spring morning. My dad got up early and I would always get up with his alarm. I was smiling when I met him at the breakfast table. He asked if I had heard that new song and of course he knew. That song has everything you could ask for. Marty singing and playing his guitar, his band and never forget the appropriately placed brass section. Both of my sons enjoy that song today as I did years ago.
I sometimes listen to Robbins’ Gunslinger Ballads CD. I’d rather not hear much of modern US Country music, but old Western songs are still good.
Some Aussie Country music is good, like The Bushwhackers, who sang a lot of Australianana, much of which is based on music that original settlers, usually Irish immigrants, brought from their old country. The band also often put me great author Henry Lawson’s prose and poetry to music.
In pioneering days, writing prose and poetry wasn’t thought of as sissy, but was a highly regarded trait among 19th century people, especially in the remote areas. For a stockman or a swaggie humping his bluey from station to station •, having a poem printed in The Bulletin was enough to be held in high regard indeed.
• a swagman, not necessarily a bludger at all, rarely had a horse, and Australia didn’t have the rail network, or population to support one, of the American country, so had to walk: to ride Shanks’ pony, to hump his bluey (swag), to waltz Matilda, from ranch to farm. Often paid in kind, barely enough for a subsistence diet, when it was time to move on, they would get some tea and sugar, and enough flour to cook a couple of dampers in campfire ashes, it often being many days walk to the next station, or landholding. If lucky, the cockie’s wife took pity and gave them some meat.
Such an itinerant existence was only possible in the southern colonies, in the more remote areas of Queensland, Western Australia or the Northern Territory, such was not a good idea, even up to the mid 1890s, unless there were several armed men together. Calculations by historians later showed that in Queensland in particular, fully 10% of men travelling on foot simply never arrived at their nominal destination during the unsettled year’s of our history.
While such is now decried by the black armband wearers among revisionist academics, blaming poor record keeping among officials of the time, and the strong anti-authoritarian attitudes of most Aussies and immigrants of the time, especially miners during the various gold rushes, the simple truth is that the missing people improved the diet of wild bush blacks. Chinamen were especially sought by the blacks, favouring their flavour over the rank taste of Europeans, who usually lived a hard life on little food.
Surely such must rank as the original Chinese takeaway, or food delivery? I just thought I’d get that in before Cederq did!
I apologise if I’ve made mistakes, I cannot see the phone screen too well.
I’d understand anyone putting the above in the TL:DR basket, but I cannot help it, it just appears on my phone. Don’t blame me!
You ought to see the letters that I write. Or not.
Marty has been one of my favorites since I was a kid and El Paso City one of the best. Loved seeing the video and hearing the song again. Thanks.
Cool water.
I was 13 years old when WBAP played that song on an early spring morning. My dad got up early and I would always get up with his alarm. I was smiling when I met him at the breakfast table. He asked if I had heard that new song and of course he knew. That song has everything you could ask for. Marty singing and playing his guitar, his band and never forget the appropriately placed brass section. Both of my sons enjoy that song today as I did years ago.
T.Rose