"Cowboy / Western Ghost Songs?" Topic

As I work on the zombie expansion for Gutshot, I find I'm listening to some spooky music for inspiration… so I've started collecting the songs for my next Hot List for the Hawgleg Website.

I was wondering if anyone has some suggestions for Country Western (or just plain Country) songs that feature cowboys, ghosts, and other spooky stuff that "goes bump on the range," so to speak?

Obviously, I've got "Ghost Riders in the Sky," and "Midnight in Montgomery," but was wondering if ya'll could suggest a few other tunes that might fit the bill. Songs could include things you might not think of at first, such as "El Paso" by Marty Robbins. Hey, the kid dies at the end of the song, so who the heck is singing? Okay, it is sung in the present tense, as though it was happening right now, but the whole thing has always seemed odd to me.

Thanks in advance fer your help!

The Gumby soundtrack has a wonderful western tune, which is even pretty creepy when Gumby gets shot. "The bullet went through his hat this 'a way, but his head leans that 'a way …"

Unfortunately, I think the disc is out of print.

"Little Green Gumby …"

How about the sequel to "El Paso" ? The guy is on a plane above El Paso and Deja vues to the origional story ? "El Paso city, on the Rio Grande" was by marty Robbins, too, ah believe ?

Paul

These 2 pages are annoying but there's about five if you look for them between the signatures and ads.

and then Empty Saddles by Bing Crosby – one I actually own!

whoops!

link

Not a ghost song but gruesome nonetheless

link

"Country Death Song" by the violent Femmes

"The Bounty Hunter" by Mike Cross.

Lyrics here: link

Favorite lines: "Now my muscles start to rust, my thoughts are growing cold, while Gabriel and Satan shoot craps for my soul."

Mike also wrote a really funny, somewhat morbid song called "The Lord'll Provide," about a buzzard and a chicken hawk.

"Long black veil" is from a ghost's point of view. It's been a while since I've heard it but I think Marty Robbins' version of the Alamo theme includes a lot of ghost imagery (was that in the movie version ?).

In a fantasy setting you could choose to interpret Cash's "Beast in me" literally, which could be interesting :-)

Jim Stafford's Swamp Witch

link

The song from "High Noon", and you could throw some in from "Paint Your Wagon" (Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood singing) or Stubby Kaye from "Cat Ballou". I'd also check out songs by The Sond of the Pioneers, like "Tumbling Tumble Weeds". There also is the sound track from The Magnificant Seven.

That would be Son's of the Pioneers, not sond. Many of their tunes have been done by Rider's in the Sky.

Ghost Riders in the Sky.
My father used to own this song in and old 33RPM record. I do not know who was the Author or the singer…sorry.

Did you know that there are at least 90 versions of Ghostriders In The Sky?

And worse, that I got that many? Yes, it's sad, I admit it. A friend from another forum posted them, and I couldn't resist downloading the lot of them.

How about Tex Ritter's "Blood on the Saddle"????

His "High Noon" is kinda mournful….

If your willing to go with some modern music too, instead of just traditional, check out the band Ghoultown and "Diablo Canyon" from the Outlaws.

Matt

Wow! There's lots of good stuff here, amigos!

A few of the songs mentioned here are already on my list ("El Paso City" and "The Long Black Veil" to name a pair). A few others are new to me, though. I hadn't heard the Mike Cross song before… that definitely made the list (love those final lyrics!). The Gumby song rings a bell, but I don't think it'll make the list because it's so rare.

Major Mike: I don't recall any of those songs having a supernatural element. Am I forgetting something?

I'll check out some of the other links and see if I can track down the songs referenced. Thanks again, everyone!

There's always this one

link

The legend of Wooly Swamp by Charlie Daniels

There is a song by the old group Paper Lace(the night Chicago died fame) I think it was called Sunrise not sure. but it was about a man getting ready to be hung after gunning down the outlaw who raped and murder his wife.
"Sunrise this is the last day that I'll ever see, out in the courtyard there waiting for me but I go to my Lord with no fear… cus I did what I did for maria." It's cool western song.

Yesterday I forgot "Shifting, whispering sands"; never been entirely sure whether the threat there is natural or supernatural, but there's certainly a spooky quality to the song.

Incidentally "Ghost riders" was written by Stan Jones, the park ranger at Death Valley who infuriated John Ford by spoiling his illusions about drinking water from cacti, and also wrote the rather nice 'yellow stripes' song in "Rio Grande".

Seven Spanish Angels?

Maybe try this ;)

link

In the context of the story of the whole "Red Headed Stranger" album "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" is a haunting of the dead wife.

Now there is a whole campaign in an album.

"Jack Straw" by the Dead (about an Old West "slasher")

"The Ride" – David Allen Coe
"Phantom 309" – Red Sovine

Marty Robbin's "Hangin' Tree" and "They're hanging me tonight". On a seperate note, alot of Irish drinking songs might fit the bill as well.

I can remember a line (just the one) from a Benny Hill song.."and the donkey rolled over and mashed in his heaad". Wish I could remember the rest.

Man, I love "Swamp Witch." Stafford's voice is low and creepy, it's about a witch, and it's got *just* enough of that 70's funk without turning it into something stupid. That's a hard thing to do.

"Streets of Laredo" especially as sung by John Cale.
"In the Pines"

Thanks fellas! Man, ya'll really came through on this for me.

A few of these will be picked up for another list, Desperado Songs. A few I like, but don't know where to put 'em. For instance, the Hangin' Tree ain't about an outlaw, nor does it have any supernatural elements. I'm wondering if I might not make a Hot List about Gold Fever. Or something like that…

I also like that Swamp Witch song, but it's a little too Cajun for my taste to go into one of my lists. Now, I really like Zydeco, but it just doesn't evoke thoughts of a Western.

Thanks again, one and all.

Tom Dooley by the Kingston Trio

Theme song from Have Gun Will Travel

Try some of the music from INTO THE BADLANDS.
I seem to be the only one I know who loves that movie.
Bruce Dern, revenge, ghosts in the old west, what's not to love?

Marty Robbins -- 5 Brothers & Prairie Fire. Good gruesome songs