Burl Ives: 'Sweet Betsy from Pike' (1941)

Source: vinyl 1956 CAMAY LP #CA 3005, song recorded Feb. 11, 1941

Tech data: mastered with AVA triple filter© process (no Dolby)

[shalacarter]

Thank you so much! I love this song. We sang it in high school. I absolutely adore the illustrations

[bighouse]

The first time i heard this song was during a not-so-recent viewing of Butch Cassidy & the Sundance kid with Newman & Redford on the run in Bolivia S.A. . The actor Strother Martin sang it while riding along on the way back from getting the payroll money for the miners he employ3d from the bank down in a nearby town. Recently I remembered this tune and I searched on the song title and this was one of the many subsequent hits I was returned from the query. I have to admit I do prefer Burl Ives melodic tones to the singsong stylings of Strother Martin ??LOL!! I notice it was also recorded a number of times by the 2nd Carolina String Band who have many musical videos here on da Utube.

[joeyhunter]

He also was the snowman who narrated the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

[jcam]

Ives cuts out the last verse and chorus and the funny, bawdy play on chorus at the end, likely because this was recorded in 1941, but I find that twist important to the ballad although Ives sings it beautifully.

[jonathanmarkoff]

One verse not in this recording:

Out on the prairie one bright starry night
They broke out the whiskey and Betsy got tight
She sang and she shouted, she danced on the plain.
And showed her bare arse to the whole wagon train.