the Birdtail King
This charming old song which is the namesake of our project is about an Indian maid longing for her love who is at war. It's an old standard from the 20's to 40's. Besides being a famous song, it refers to our local Indian heritage. The local Creek Indian Chief who represented his tribe in New York in the 1700's was "the Birdtail King". The famous "Rock Eagle" effigy is here, as are the thousands of Golden Eagles it pays homage to. I've counted over 70 in less than an hour directly over my house whirling and gliding in the updrafts, all heading west into the setting sun. It's pretty dramatic. The lesser known "Rock Hawk" effigy is less than 20 miles from the Rock Eagle nearer Lake Oconee. melody.
REDWING
There once was an Indian maid
A shy little prairie maid
Who sang away, a love song gay
While on the prairies she whiled away the day
She loved a warrior bold
This shy little maid of old
But brave and gay he rode away
To a battle far away.
(Chorus)
Now the moon shines bright tonight on pretty Redwing
The breezes sighing, the night birds crying
The moon shines bright on pretty Redwing
Her brave is sleeping, and Redwing's weeping
Her heart away.
She watched for him day and night
She kept the camp fires bright
And under the skies each night she would lay
And dream about his coming by and by
(Chorus)
But when all the braves returned
The heart of Redwing yearned
For far far away her warrior gay
Fell bravely in the fray
(Chorus)
3 comments:
I just love this song as it has deep roots in my family. My grandparents both played Redwing together on their fiddles in Jackson County, Iowa in the early 1900's. My Grandma died in 1933, many years before I was born.
It's great to hear personal stories like this. That's what this kind of music and this kind of event is about. A tradition handed down from one generation to the next. And the nostalgic feelings that come from memories of childhood. My own family were all musicians and I recall many happy evenings sitting on the front porch listening to cousins and relatives play and sing late into the night. Thanks for the comment Kay. Come join us sometime.
Found the Song in a John Wayne/ Lee Marvin movie: "The Commancheros" just those few lyrics caught my ear. Very moving, even for those two!
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