Two at a time, all night long the cowboys would ride slowly in opposite directions in a giant circle around the sleeping herd. Unfortunately, we are not authorized to show these lyrics Ride around Ride around real slow The fiery and the snuffy are raring to go chorus: Ride around, little dogies Ride around them slow For the fiery and snuffy are a-rarin’ to go.
The greatest danger of all was the stampede. A paint is a spotted horse and the rider/narrator in this song is most likely on his way to a Montana rodeo to wrestle steers.
Old … The word “dogie” refers to cattle taken from their mothers and, forced to eat grass too early, develop big doughy stomachs. “Old Paint,” aka “I Ride an Old Paint,” and “Streets of Laredo” are among the many songs that were sung to sleeping cattle. They would usually sing or whistle continuously to pass the time, to keep themselves awake, to drown out the noises of the night, and so the cattle would know that a friend was watching over them. Static electricity from the hairy bodies rubbing together caused bluish sparks to be emitted from their horns. When the cattle were lying peacefully on the ground at night, some stray sound, flash of lightning, or instinct would bring them all to their feet and send them charging into the darkness.
Lyrics to 'I Ride An Old Paint' by Woody Guthrie. preserving and celebrating music from America's diverse cultural historyCowboys faced many dangers on the trail including lightning, crossing of swift-flowing rivers, and hostile Native Americans. I ride an old paint I lead an old dam I'm going to Montana To throw a houlihan They feed in the coolies They water in the draw Their tails are all matted Their backs are all raw Ride around Ride around real slow The fiery and the snuffy are raring to go Old Bill Brown Had a daughter and a son One went to Denver And the other went wrong verses: I ride an old paint I lead an old Dan I’m goin’ to Montan’ For to throw the hoolihan They feed in the coulees They water in the draw Their tails are all matted Their backs are all raw. I ride an old paint I lead an old dam I'm going to Montana To throw a houlihan They feed in the coolies They water in the draw Their tails are all matted Their backs are all raw. Many cowboys’ lives were lost in attempts to get the herds back in control by riding to the front and heading them off into a wide, but ever-narrowing circle.To discourage stampedes, not to mention cattle rustlers and Native American attacks, each man would serve two-hour shifts of night duty. Lyrics.