a 1945 popular song
words and music by Jack Guthrie
According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, this is a reworked version of the same song written by Woody Guthrie in 1937 and sung by the two men on joint singing tours. When Woody heard Jack’s version on a jukebox, he called Capitol records and claimed the song as his. The two cousins then agreed to share royalties jointly.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
Many months have come and gone
Since I wandered from my home
In those Oklahoma Hills where I was born
Tho’ a page of life has turned
And a lesson I have learned
Yet I feel like in those hills I still belong
Chorus
‘Way down yonder in the Indian nation
I rode my pony on the reservation
In those Oklahoma Hills where I was born
‘Way down yonder in the Indian nation
A cowboy’s life is my occupation
In those Oklahoma hills where I was born
Verse 2
But as I sit here today
Many miles I am away
From the place I rode my pony thru the draw
Where the oak and blackjack trees
Kiss the playful prairie breeze
In those Oklahoma hills where I was born
Verse 3
Now as I turn life a page
To a land of the great Osage
In those Oklahoma hills where I was born
Where the black oil rolls and flows
And the snow-white cotton grows
In those Oklahoma hills where I was born
Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: