Red Wing

Jim,

—F.A Mills & Thurland Chattaway 1907

There once't lived an Indian maid
A shy little prairie maid
Who sang all day, her love song gay
While on the plains she whiled away the day
She loved a warrior bold
This shy little maid of old
But brave an' gay, he rode one day
To the battle far away

Chorus:
Now, the moon shines tonight on pretty Red Wing
The breezes sighing, the nightbirds crying
Far, o far, beneath the stars
Her love is sleeping
While Red Wings weeping
Her heart away

She watched for hm day and night
She kept all the camp fires bright
And under the stars each night she would lie
And dream of his coming bye an' bye
But when the braves returned
The heart of Red Wing yourned
And far, far, away, her warrior gay
Fell bravely in the frae

Verse:

I I IV I
V I II V
I I IV I
V I II – V I

Chorus:

IV IV I I
V V I I
IV IV I I
V V I I


And then there's Oscar Brand's version…

There once was an Indian maid who always was afraid
That some buckaroo would make it up her cou
As she lay sleeping in the shade.
She had an idea grand: she filled it up with sand.
And no buckaroo would get into her cou
And reach the promised land.

Chorus 1:
Oh, the Moon shines down on pretty Red Wing
As she lay sleeping, a cowboy creeping
With his one good eye he was a-peeping
He hoped to reach the promised land.

Now, he was a cowboy wise and got upon her thighs;
With an old rubber boot on the end of his toot
He made poor Red Wing open up her eyes.
But, once she came to life, she grabbed her Bowie knife.
With one quick pass, this Indian lass shortened his love life.

Chorus 2:
Oh, the Moon shines down on pretty Red Wing
As she lay sleeping, her trophy keeping.
And, no more do the boys come whoring.
[alt: And no longer do the boys try scoring.]
And Red Wing's happy all her life!