Lavender Cowboy - A Song History

Back to March 2005 Show

LAVENDER COWBOY

Charting a Song's History

Above right, Vernon Dalhart in the late 20's sold over a million with his classic "The Prisoner's Song,"
but it was one of his very last recordings, in 1939, that got my attention. He was not the first to record
"Lavender Cowboy," but his was the recording that was declared a "blue record" by the radio industry,
therefore banning it. And, we know that the Vernon Dalhart version of the song was banned by radio,
see this this reference

..."Blue" songs are naturally not allowed on the radio networks. Last week NBC revealed that 147 songs are on its blacklist. Because their titles are suggestive, 137 may not even be played instrumentally[!]. Among them:
"Lavender Cowboy"..."Dirty Lady"..."But in the Morning, No"...Many another song has to be laundered before NBC will pass it. Not to be sung in "Thank You Father" are the lines: "Though your father's name was Stanley/Thank God that he was manly." -- --Time, March 25, 1940

But, let's back up to the beginning...

The song "Lavender Cowboy" has a long history. It started out as a poem, published by Harold Hersey, in 1923.

It appeared in a movie western in the 1930 called "Oklahoma Cyclone," sung by Al St. John.

Ewen Hail, above right, wrote the music and recorded his own version, its first recording.

The Lavender Cowboy
the poem
(Harold Hersey)

He was only a lavender cowboy,
The hairs on his chest were two,
But he wished to follow the heroes
And fight like the he-men do.

But he was inwardly troubled
By a dream that gave him no rest,
That he'd go with his heroes in action
With only two hairs on his chest.

First he tried many a hair tonic.
'Twas rubbed in on him each night.
But still when he looked in the mirror
Those two hairs were ever in sight.

But with a spirit undaunted
He wandered out to fight,
Just like an old-time knight errant
To win combat for the right.

He battled for Red Nellie's honor
And cleaned out a holdup's nest
He died with his six guns a-smoking
With only two hairs on his chest.

Among the many versions of the song "Lavender Cowboy" I've notated the following recordings:
(chronologically, year & source given if known; and I've not heard some of these)
You can click to hear the ones with links.

Ewen Hail                                        (Vocalion 5146, 1927)
Bob Skyles & His Skyrockets   (Bluebird 7092, 1937)
Vernon Dalhart                              (Bluebird B-8229, 1939)
Johnny Boyle                                (1949)
Burl Ives                                          ("The Wayfaring Stranger" 1950)
Katie Lee                                         (Spicy Songs for Cool Knights" 1956)
Alan Arkin                                       ("Folk Songs, Once Over Lightly" 1954)
Ed McCurdy                                   ("The Folksinger" 1958, Ives version)
Paddy Roberts                              ("Strictly for Grown-Ups" 1959)
George Gillespie                           ("Cow Camp Songs of the Old West" 1961)
Peter LaFarge                                ("Sings of the Cowboys" 1964, Ives version)
Alfred Crosby                                (Max Hunter Song Collection, 1967, Ives version)
Brendan Grace                              ("Grace...Before and After," UK, 1973)
Kendall Morse                              (Lights Along the Shore" 1976, Ives version)
Sons of Erin                                   ("Pleasant and Delightful," 1980, Newfoundland, campiest version)
Donne Bille                                     ("From Here On Up" 1996)
Tom Robinson                               ("Castaway Club, Volume 7," 2000, fan club disc, Roberts version)
The Phenomenological Boys   ("The Rainbow Record" 2003, Ives version)
Hollow Trees                                  ("Hollow Trees," 2005, very close to Dalhart version)

Vernon Dalhart, above, sang the song in 1939 exactly like the poem

As sung by Bob Skyles, in 1937, it gets a bit more derogatory, calling him a cream-puff:

He was only a lavender cowboy,
The hairs on his chest were two,
And he wanted to follow the heroes
To fight as the heroes do.

Yet he was inwardly troubled
By a dream that gave no rest
When he read of heroes in action
He wanted more hair on his chest.

Oh, that lavender cowboy,
Just a cream-puff of the West
And he wanted to be a hero
And win fame like all the rest

Massages and many hair tonics
Were rubbed in morning and night
Still when he looked in the mirror
No new hair grew in sight

He battled for his sweatheart's honor
Then he had to lay down and rest
And he died with his six-guns smoking
But only two hairs on his chest

Oh, that lavender cowboy,
Just a cream-puff of the West
And he wanted to be a hero
And win fame like all the rest

In 1950, Burl Ives sang a tame, stripped-down version, with no chorus, and this is
probably the one most widely known, done by most of those who recorded it after him,
including Ed McCurdy (1958), Peter La Farge (1963) and Kendall Morse (1976)

He was only a lavender cowboy,
The hairs on his chest were two,
And he wanted to follow the heroes
To do as he-men do.

Red, green and many-colored hair tonics
He rubbed on his chest day and night
When he looked in the mirror each morning
No new hair grew in sight

He battled for Red Nellie's honor
He cleaned up a hold-up's nest
He died with his six guns a-smoking
But only two hairs on his chest.

In 1959 Paddy Roberts, over in the UK, added his homophobic version of the song to his
"Strictly for Grown-Ups" 10" album....in it they nonchalantly shot the Lavender Cowboy.

As sung by Paddy Roberts...

Yippy I Yippy O Yippy I Yippy O Yippy A
Which sounds rather silly
But every hillbilly
Spends half his life singing that way

He was just a lavender cowboy
With only three hairs on his chest
And he rode on a filly called Daffy-Down Dilly
The prettiest horse in the West

Every morning they went go out together
While the others looked on in dismay
Cause he'd round up the cattle a-riding side-saddle
Because he preferred it that way

He was just a lavender cowboy
Who committed a terrible sin
He went out on a bender and slugged the bartender
And stole all the strawberry gin

So the posse was sent out to find him
And to bring him back dead or alive
And they knew as the went they were hot on the scent
By the smell of Chanel #5

And they found him a-lying unconscious
With blood running all down his chin
Til they looked a bit closer, and what do you know, sir
They found it was strawberry gin

So they shot the lavender cowboy
And they said as they laid him to rest
You'll be happier now, boy, you can't be a cowboy
With only three hairs on your chest

Tom Robinson is the only known queer artist doing the song. He is of course famous
for the anthem "Glad to Be Gay." He included the song in 2000 on a Fan Club CD, and his
version is very close to that of Paddy Roberts, perhaps as they were both from the UK,
and that was the version he knew.

Yippy I Yippy O Yippy I Yippy E Yippy A
Which sounds rather silly
But every hillbilly
Spends half his life singing that way

He was just a lavender cowboy
With only three hairs on his chest
And he rode on a filly called Daffy-Down Dilly
The prettiest horse in the West

Every morning they'd go out together
While the others looked on in dismay
Fore he'd round up the cattle riding side-saddle
Because he preferred it that way

Yippy I Yippy O Yippy I Yippy E Yippy A
Which sounds rather silly
But every hillbilly
Spends half his life singing that way

He was just a lavender cowboy
Who committed a terrible sin
He went out on a bender and slugged the bartender
And stole all the strawberry gin

So they sent out the posse to find him
And to bring him back dead or alive
And they knew as the went they were hot on the scent
By the smell of Chanel #5

Yippy I Yippy O Yippy I Yippy E Yippy A
Which sounds rather silly
But every hillbilly
Spends half his life singing that way

So they shot the lavender cowboy
And they said as they laid him to rest
You'll be happier now, boy, you can't be a cowboy
With only three hairs on your chest

Yippy I Yippy O Yippy I Yippy E Yippy A
Which sounds rather silly
But every hillbilly
Spends half his life singing that way

The Sons of Erin are a Newfoundland group, and their version is by far the most
gay and campy, especially illustrated by a version from their TV show
...but at least our hero survives the song. Above appears to be a lip-sync version
from their 1980 LP "Pleasant and Delightful." Click on image for video.