When life gets too teejus...remember Ole Rivers
Oh, how I remember Walter Brennan. This guy was in more than 220 films, was painted by Rockwell, and once had damned near every tooth in his head kicked out by a horse.
He sounded like a redneck, and for that I adore him. Best known as Grandpa Amos McCoy from The Real McCoys, Brennan had some of the most hilarious character names ever.
Lanky Smith, Cappy Ricks, Pa Danby, Old Atrocity, Cornelius Burden, Jeff Slocum, Cap MacKellar, Old Man Clanton, Blackie Fletcher, Tammy’s Grandpa, Swan Bostrom, D.J. Mulrooney, Knobby, Rimrock, Stumpy, Uncle Jesse Jackson, J. F. “Thunder” Bolt, Brimstone “Pop” Courteen, Sam “Gus” Barton, “Legs” Garnett, Prof. Stephen Novotny, Hector Titus, Muff Potter, Chief Yeoman Henry Johnson, and Secretary to Sylvester J. Sutton Sr. There’s more. Pop Gruber, Col. Jeb Hawkins, “Doc” Butcher, Featherhead, Gramp Flynn, and Karp. And there’re still some other funny ones, too, but that’s what the Internet is good for.
Oh, and this song’s about a farmer and an Ole Mule.
OLD RIVERS
Walter Brennan
Words and music by Cliff Crofford
How old was I when I first seen old Rivers?
I can't remember when he weren't around
Well, that old fellow did a heap of work
Spent his whole life walking plowed ground.
He had a one-room shack not far from us
And well, we was about as poor as him
He had one old mule he called Midnight
And I'd trailed along after them.
He used to plow them rows straight and deep
And I'd come along near behind
A-bustin' up clods with my own bare feet
Old Rivers was a friend of mine.
That sun'd get high and that mule would work
Till old Rivers'd say, ''Whoa!''
He'd wipe his brow, lean back on the reins
And talk about a place he was gonna go.
Chorus:
He'd say, one of these days
I'm gonna climb that mountain
Walk up there amoung the clouds
Where the cotton's high
And the corn's a-growin'
And there ain't no fields to plow.
--- Instrumental ---
I got a letter today from the folks back home and
They're all fine and crops is dry
Down at the end my mama said, ''Son
You know old Rivers died.''
Just sittin' here now on this new-plowed earth
Trying to find me a little shade
With the sun beating down 'cross the field I see
That mule, old Rivers and me.
Chorus:
Now, one of these days
I'm gonna climb that mountain
Walk up there amoung the clouds
Where the cotton's high
And the corn's a-growin'
And there ain't no fields to plow.
With the sun beating down 'cross the field I see
That mule, old Rivers and me...
He sounded like a redneck, and for that I adore him. Best known as Grandpa Amos McCoy from The Real McCoys, Brennan had some of the most hilarious character names ever.
Lanky Smith, Cappy Ricks, Pa Danby, Old Atrocity, Cornelius Burden, Jeff Slocum, Cap MacKellar, Old Man Clanton, Blackie Fletcher, Tammy’s Grandpa, Swan Bostrom, D.J. Mulrooney, Knobby, Rimrock, Stumpy, Uncle Jesse Jackson, J. F. “Thunder” Bolt, Brimstone “Pop” Courteen, Sam “Gus” Barton, “Legs” Garnett, Prof. Stephen Novotny, Hector Titus, Muff Potter, Chief Yeoman Henry Johnson, and Secretary to Sylvester J. Sutton Sr. There’s more. Pop Gruber, Col. Jeb Hawkins, “Doc” Butcher, Featherhead, Gramp Flynn, and Karp. And there’re still some other funny ones, too, but that’s what the Internet is good for.
Oh, and this song’s about a farmer and an Ole Mule.
OLD RIVERS
Walter Brennan
Words and music by Cliff Crofford
How old was I when I first seen old Rivers?
I can't remember when he weren't around
Well, that old fellow did a heap of work
Spent his whole life walking plowed ground.
He had a one-room shack not far from us
And well, we was about as poor as him
He had one old mule he called Midnight
And I'd trailed along after them.
He used to plow them rows straight and deep
And I'd come along near behind
A-bustin' up clods with my own bare feet
Old Rivers was a friend of mine.
That sun'd get high and that mule would work
Till old Rivers'd say, ''Whoa!''
He'd wipe his brow, lean back on the reins
And talk about a place he was gonna go.
Chorus:
He'd say, one of these days
I'm gonna climb that mountain
Walk up there amoung the clouds
Where the cotton's high
And the corn's a-growin'
And there ain't no fields to plow.
--- Instrumental ---
I got a letter today from the folks back home and
They're all fine and crops is dry
Down at the end my mama said, ''Son
You know old Rivers died.''
Just sittin' here now on this new-plowed earth
Trying to find me a little shade
With the sun beating down 'cross the field I see
That mule, old Rivers and me.
Chorus:
Now, one of these days
I'm gonna climb that mountain
Walk up there amoung the clouds
Where the cotton's high
And the corn's a-growin'
And there ain't no fields to plow.
With the sun beating down 'cross the field I see
That mule, old Rivers and me...
Related Posts (on one page):
- When life gets too teejus...remember Ole Rivers
- More On Life Gets Tejus
- Life gets "tejus", don't it? (Peter Lind Hayes song title) )