SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON
(Traditional - 17th Century English -
Updated by George A. Norton in 1917 -
Re-written by Leroy Parker & M. Ottner in 1949)
Byron G. Harlan - 1917
Mary Lee (feat. in the film "Cowboy & The Senorita") - 1944
Andrews Sisters with Russ Morgan & His Orch. - 1949
Eddie "Piano" Miller Orch. (vocal: Phil Ellis Choristers) - 1949
Ralph Flanagan & His Orch. (vocal: Harry Prime) - 1949
Tommy Tucker & His Orch. - 1949
Jerry Wayne - 1949
The Tanner Sisters - 1949
Mitch Miller & The Gang - 1958
Johnny Heart, His Orch. & Chorus - 1962
Bing Crosby - 1963
The Cliff Adams Singers - 1963
As recorded by BYRON G. HARLAN:
Susie Simpkins in the village papers
Read about these soldiers manly capers
And made up her mind
That a soldier's bonnie bride she'd be
Volunteers were called a little later
Big Si Hubbard stopped a-hoeing 'taters
Fell right into line
And mustered with a company
She cried and kissed him when he marched away
And she vowed to keep him in her mind each day
'Round her neck she wears a yeller ribbon
She wears it in the Winter and the Summer so they say
If you ask her, "Why the decoration?"
She'll say, "It's fur my lover who is fur, fur away"
Fur away (fur away) fur away (fur away)
If she is milkin' cows or mowin' hay
'Round her neck she wears a yeller ribbon
She wears it fur her lover who is fur, fur away
'Round her neck she wears a yeller ribbon
She wears it in the winter and the summer so they say
If you ask her, "Why the decoration?"
She'll say, "It's fur my lover who is fur, fur away"
Fur away (fur away) fur away (fur away)
If she is milkin' cows or mowin' hay
'Round her neck she wears a yeller ribbon
She wears it fur her lover who is fur, fur away
Months rolled by and patiently she waited
Read the war news, greatly agitated
No word from her boy
Till a letter from his Captain said
"Your beau, Silas, he went out a-gunnin'
Soon he had the enemy a-runnin'"
Susie wept for joy
Though further on the letter read
"The enemy can run some, you can bet
But they couldn't capture Si, he's runnin' yet" (Runnin' yet)
'Round her neck she wears a yeller ribbon
She wears it in the Winter and the Summer so they say
If you ask her, "Why the decoration?"
She'll say, "It's fur my lover who is fur, fur away"
Fur away (fur away) fur away (fur away)
If she is milkin' cows or mowin' hay
'Round her neck she wears a yeller ribbon
She wears it fur her lover who is fur, fur away
(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - April 2017)
********************
As recorded by THE ANDREWS SISTERS
with Russ Morgan & His Orch:
Round her neck she wore a yellow ribbon
She wore it in the winter and the merry month of May
When I asked her, "Why the yellow ribbon?"
She said, "It’s for my lover who is far, far away"
Far away, far away, far away, far away
She said, "It’s for my lover who is far, far away"
Far away, far away, far away, far away
She said, "It’s for my lover who is far, far away"
When, at first, she met a winsome Johnny
He wasn’t sure her heart was pure, her eyes were far too bold
So, round her neck he tied a yellow ribbon
He tied a yellow ribbon ‘cause it matched her hair of gold
Hair of gold, hair of gold
He tied a yellow ribbon ‘cause it matched her hair of gold
Hair of gold, hair of gold
He tied a yellow ribbon, for her eyes were far too bold
If, perchance, you spy a lovely maiden
And by her side, there walks with pride a Johnny strong and gay
And round her neck there is a yellow ribbon
No matter how you love her, please stay far, far away
(Far away, far away, far away, far away)
No matter how you love her, please stay far, far away
(Far away, far away, far away, far away)
Her love is for another, so stay far, far away
(Far far away)
Round her neck she wore a yellow ribbon
She wore it in the winter and the merry month of May
When I asked her, "Why the yellow ribbon?"
She said, "It’s for my lover who is far, far away"
Far away, far away
She said, It’s for my lover who is far, far away
Far away, far away
She said, It’s for my lover who is far, far away
(Far, far away)
For her lover who is far, far away
********************
As heard over the opening credits of the 1949
John Ford/John Wayne film "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon":
Round her neck she wore a yellow ribbon
She wore it in the winter and the merry month of May
When I asked her, "Why the yellow ribbon?"
She said, "It’s for my lover who is in the Cavalry"
Cavalry (Cavalry), Cavalry (Cavalry)
She said, "It’s for my lover who is in the Cavalry"
Cavalry (Cavalry), Cavalry (Cavalry)
She said, "It’s for my lover in the U.S. Cavalry"
********************
As recorded by MITCH MILLER & THE GANG:
Around her neck she wore a yellow ribbon
She wore it in the Springtime and in the month of May, Hey! Hey!
And if you ask her why the heck she wore it
She wore it for her lover who was far, far away
Far away, far away, far away, far away
Oh, she wore it for her lover who was far, far away
Far away, far away, far away, far away
Oh, she wore it for her lover who was far, far away
Around her knee she wore a purple garter
She wore it in the Springtime and in the month of May, Hey! Hey!
And if you ask her why the heck she wore it
She wore it for her lover who was far, far away
Far away, far away, far away, far away
Oh, she wore it for her lover who was far, far away
Far away, far away, far away, far away
Oh, she wore it for her lover who was far, far away
Behind the door her father kept a shotgun
He kept it in the Springtime and in the month of May, Hey! Hey!
And if you ask him why the heck he kept it
He kept it for her lover who was far, far away
Far away, far away, far away, far away
Oh, he kept it for her lover who was far, far away
Far away, far away, far away, far away
Oh, he kept it for her lover who was far, far away
And on the wall she keeps a marriage licence
She keeps it in the Springtime and in the month of May, Hey! Hey!
And if you ask her why the heck she keeps it
She keeps it for her lover who was far, far away
Far away, far away, far away, far away
Oh, she keeps it for her lover who was far, far away
Far away, far away, far away, far away
Oh, she keeps it for her lover who was far, far away
(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - April 2017)
