Home on the Range

This article is about the song. For other uses, see Home on the Range (disambiguation).

Dr. Brewster M. Higley, late 19th century

"Home on the Range" is the state song of the American state of Kansas. Dr. Brewster M. Higley (1823–1911) originally wrote the words in a poem called "My Western Home" in the early 1870s in Smith County, Kansas. The poem was first published in a December 1873 issue of the Smith County Pioneer under the title "Oh, Give Me a Home Where the Buffalo Roam". The music was written by a friend of Higley's named Daniel E. Kelley. Higley's original words are similar to those of the song today but not identical. The song was adopted by settlers, cowboys, and others and spread across the USA in various forms. During the early 20th century, it was arranged by Texas composer David Guion (1892–1981) who is often credited as the composer. It was officially adopted as the state song of Kansas on June 30, 1947, and is commonly regarded as the unofficial anthem of the American West.

"Home on the Range" is often performed in programs and concerts of American patriotic music, and is frequently used in plays and films. These include the 1948 film Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (sung by both Cary Grant and Myrna Loy), the 1967 off-Broadway musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (sung by the cast as a glee club rehearsal number), the 1980 film Where the Buffalo Roam (sung by Neil Young over the opening credits), the 2009 film The Messenger (sung by Willie Nelson over the closing credits), and in the 1946 western film Colorado Serenade (sung by actor Roscoe Ates). The song has naturally also made its way into screen shorts for children and adults, as in the 1954 Looney Tunes cartoon, Claws for Alarm, in which it is sung by Porky Pig.

"Home on the Range" has been featured as the state slogan on Kansas vanity license plates since 2005.

Major versions compared

Dr. Brewster Higley (1876)	William and Mary Goodwin (1904)	John A. Lomax (1910)
Oh, give me a home where the Buffalo roam Where the Deer and the Antelope play; Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, And the sky is not cloudy all day. Chorus A home! A home! Where the Deer and the Antelope play, Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, And the sky is not cloudy all day. Oh! give me a land where the bright diamond sand Throws its light from the glittering streams, Where glideth along the graceful white swan, Like the maid in her heavenly dreams. Chorus Oh! give me a gale of the Solomon vale, Where the life streams with buoyancy flow; On the banks of the Beaver, where seldom if ever, Any poisonous herbage doth grow. Chorus How often at night, when the heavens were bright, With the light of the twinkling stars Have I stood here amazed, and asked as I gazed, If their glory exceed that of ours. Chorus I love the wild flowers in this bright land of ours, I love the wild curlew's shrill scream; The bluffs and white rocks, and antelope flocks That graze on the mountains so green. Chorus The air is so pure and the breezes so fine, The zephyrs so balmy and light, That I would not exchange my home here to range Forever in azures so bright. Chorus	Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, Where the deer and the antelope play; There seldom is heard a discouraging word And the sky is not cloudy all day. Chorus A home, a home Where the deer and the antelope play, There seldom is heard a discouraging word And the sky is not cloudy all day. Yes, give me the gleam of the swift mountain stream And the place where no hurricane blows; Oh, give me the park where the prairie dogs bark And the mountain all covered with snow. Chorus Oh, give me the hills and the ring of the drills And the rich silver ore in the ground; Yes, give me the gulch where the miner can sluice And the bright, yellow gold can be found. Chorus Oh, give me the mine where the prospectors find The gold in its own native land; And the hot springs below where the sick people go And camp on the banks of the Grande. Chorus Oh, give me the steed and the gun that I need To shoot game for my own cabin home; Then give me the camp where the fire is the lamp And the wild Rocky Mountains to roam. Chorus Yes, give me the home where the prospectors roam Their business is always alive In these wild western hills midst the ring of the drills Oh, there let me live till I die. Chorus	Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, Where the deer and the antelope play, Where seldom is heard a discouraging word And the skies are not cloudy all day. Chorus Home, home on the range, Where the deer and the antelope play; Where seldom is heard a discouraging word And the skies are not cloudy all day. Where the air is so pure, the zephyrs so free, The breezes so balmy and light, That I would not exchange my home on the range For all of the cities so bright. Chorus The red man* was pressed from this part of the West He's likely no more to return, To the banks of Red River where seldom if ever Their flickering camp-fires burn. Chorus How often at night when the heavens are bright With the light from the glittering stars Have I stood here amazed and asked as I gazed If their glory exceeds that of ours. Chorus Oh, I love these wild prairies where I roam The curlew I love to hear scream, And I love the white rocks and the antelope flocks That graze on the mountain-tops green. Chorus Oh, give me a land where the bright diamond sand Flows leisurely down the stream; Where the graceful white swan goes gliding along Like a maid in a heavenly dream. Chorus * Some replace the controversial term "red man" with "first men" or "first people" and change the rest of the verse accordingly[citation needed].

Media

References

• NPR - Home on the Range, Present at creation
• Kansas History Online
• Kansas Sights: "Home on the Range" for additional history
• Brewster Higley Ohio Historical Marker
• Home on the Range Cabin, cabin near Athol, Kansas where the song Home on the Range was written.