Saturday, February 05, 2011

How the West was Won

Music by Alfred Newman and Ken Darby
Lyrics by Sheb Wooley
Sung by Dave Guard & The Whiskeyhill Singers
 


 

The promised land, the land of plenty rich with gold,
Here came dreamers with Bible, fist and gun,
Bound for land, across the plains their wagons rolled,
Hell bent for leather – that’s how the West was won.

Side by side, they tamed the savage prairie land,
Nothing stopped them – no wind, nor rain, nor sun.
Side by side, these pioneers from ev’ry land,
All pulled together – that’s how the West was won.

And they sang of the day when they would rest their boots,
In a land where still waters flow,
Where the dreams of a man and wife could put down roots,
And their love and the seeds of love would grow.

Dream by dream, they built a nation on this land,
Forged in freedom, for ev’ry mother’s son,
Here it is, the beautiful, the promised land,
We won’t forget them, that’s how the West was won!
The West was won! The West was won!

I am bound for the promised land,
I’m bound for the promised land,
Oh, who will come and go with me,
I am bound for the promised land.

It’s a land of plenty that never fails,
Where trees immortal grow,
Where rocks and hills and brooks and vales
With milk and honey flow.

And they sang of the day when they would rest their boots,
In a land where still waters flow,
Where the dreams of a man and wife could put down roots,
And their love and seeds of love would grow,
And grow and grow!

Dream by dream, they built a nation on this land,
Forged in freedom, for ev’ry mother’s son,
Here it is, the beautiful, the promised land,
We won’t forget them, and how the West was won!


Thanks to amuggle15 for uploading the music, and providing the lyrics.

1 comment:

John Robert Mallernee, KB3KWS, in Vernal, Utah said...

Mr. Stix, Et Alii:

That's one of the best American movies ever made.

Here are the URLs where you can watch videos of ME(!) strumming my guitar and singing those same songs:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W_XpTfwjtc

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCgkMKIgAVI

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Although I wanted to learn the song, I had great difficulty finding the lyrics, which was necessary, because I couldn't understand what the combined chorus of voices was enunciating.

So, it was a long time before I finally could learn it, memorize it, and sing it.

Thank you.

John Robert Mallernee
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Gulfport, Mississippi 39507