Cattle Call

Cattle Call (also called "The Cattle Call") is a song written and first performed by Tex Owens in 1934, but later popularized by Eddy Arnold's recording from 1944, and appeared at #11 on Billboard's Country & Western charts with Slim Whitman's cover in 1954. The song has gone on to become a regular part of the live set list for Riders In The Sky, where it is usually used as the opening "The Circus Train" sketch.

Early Performances ("Higher Key Yodel")
The earliest known performance of Cattle Call (specifically where it is used as a part of a larger comedy sketch) with the Riders is 1981, when the trio performed the song on the Austin City Limits television series. In this early incarnation of the routine, the first verse of the song is performed without any alteration. Upon reaching the yodeling portion of chorus, Ranger Doug tells the others that he would like to try singing it again, this time in a higher key. Too Slim and Woody Paul proceed to play the chorus in a slightly higher key than before, and Ranger Doug yodels to match. This process of Doug wanting to sing in a higher key is repeated several times, and the song ends.

"Circus Train"
By the mid-1980s, the sketch involving the Cattle Call song had evolved into it's more recognizable form as "Cattle Call/Circus Train", with it's earliest known live performance dated in 1986. In this new iteration of the sketch, Cattle Call is started by Ranger Doug, who gives the song a brief spoken-word introduction, calling "a portrait in song" and a tribute to a version of the Old West that was and never will be again, then proceeding to play the play the first verse and first selection of the chorus in without any modification. By the second verse, Too Slim begins to chime in with cattle noises to, in his words, "add to this portrait (in song)". Woody Paul then adds various noises (like the cowboy's faithful horse). The song then spirals out of control as Too Slim takes the "portrait" over the hill from the quiet field of cattle (where the song began) to watching a nearby passing circus train. Using only sound effects with their mouths, Slim and Woody derail the circus train, and chaos erupts as lions, tigers, bears, elephants, and ducks are let loose upon the western plain. Ranger Doug (who has stopped playing the melody several minuets prior) gives Slim and Woody an annoyed look and asks them if their finished. Realizing that things may have gotten out of hand, the trio begin to play the song once more, only to be stopped by time constraints if they want to play a full set.

This version of Cattle Call was recorded for the Riders Radio Theater album, and later performed live on the second episode of the Riders Radio Theater series (Meltdown on the MesaChapter 2).

Unaltered Version
The Riders later recorded a "complete" version of Cattle Call (without the "Circus Train" sketch) for their 1995 album Always Drink Upstream From The Herd.

Lyrics
(Ranger Doug): Where the cattle are prowlin' and the coyotes are howlin'

Way out where the doggies bawl

His spurs are a jinglin' this cowpoke is singin'

His lonesome cattle call

(All Riders): (Yodeling Chorus)

(RD): He rides in the sun 'till his day's work is done

Then he rounds up the cattle each fall

(All Riders): (Yodeling Chorus)

(RD): Singin' his cattle call

(Instrumental Break)

(RD): Oh for hours he would ride over the range far and wide

Where the night winds blow up a squall

And his heart is a feather in all kinds of weather

As he sings his cattle call

(All Riders): (Yodeling Chorus)

(RD): He's brown as a berry from ridin' the prairie

And he sings with an old western drawl

His lonesome cattle call

(All Riders): (Yodeling Chorus)

(All Riders): Singin' his cattle call

Videos




Riders Recordings

 * Riders Radio Theater (Album) (1988): Cattle Call/Circus Train
 * Riders Radio Theater: Meltdown on the Mesa Chapter 2 (1988): Cattle Call/Circus Train
 * Always Drink Upstream From The Herd (1995): Cattle Call

Trivia

 * "Cattle Call/Circus Train" proved to be such a popular sketch on the radio series that the first edition vinyl release of the Riders Radio Theater album had stickers advertising the fact that the routine was included on the album.