My Rifle My Pony and Me
Western Music
The Lone Writer  

Western Song: My Rifle, My Pony and Me

My Rifle, My Pony, and Me is a song written by Rio Bravo’s musical score composer, Dimitri Tiomkin, known for his Western film scores, and with whom Howard Hawks worked at Red River. “My Rifle, My Pony and Me” was created from a tune used by the composer on Red River, with lyrics added by Paul Francis Webster. Members of Western Writers of America chose the song as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

The song was featured in the film Rio Bravo. The actors practiced their singing skills in one scene. Although it’s a song about coming ‘home to his sweetheart darlin’, you would understand the meaning from his speech and where he emphasizes that he’s more at home alone in the canyon with his three great companions, his rifle and pony “and me”.

On one level, it’s a throwaway filler (like Elvis ’Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce in Girl Happy), and yet it’s also indicative of the lone persona of Dino, the man who not only needs little but doesn’t care for others. Or even that.

Popular Recordings

Like other popular western songs, various artists covered the song. Some of the notable versions were recorded by:

  • Dean Martin & Rick Nelson
  • Don Williams
  • RW Hampton
  • Lonstar
  • Dionysos
  • Syd Masters & The Swing Riders
  • Jen Mize – Mark Sholtez

My Rifle, My Pony and Me In Albums

The song has also been released in the tracklist of the following albums:

  • Borrowed Tales by Don Williams
  • Ridin’ the Dreamland Range – A Musical Tribute to the Western Film by RW Hampton
  • Rio Bravo Country Na Drogę by Lonstar
  • Whatever the Weather – Concert Acoustique by Dionysos
  • Always a Cowboy in My Dreams by Syd Masters & The Swing Riders
  • Twilight on the Trail by Jen Mize – Mark Sholtez

Listen (Dean Martin Version)

My Rifle, My Pony and Me Lyrics

The sun is sinking in the west
The cattle go down to the stream
The redwing settles in the nest
It's time for a cowboy to dream

Purple light in the canyons
That's where I long to be
With my three good companions
Just my rifle, pony and me

Gonna hang (gonna hang) my sombrero (my sombrero)
On the limb (on the limb) of a tree (of a tree)
Coming home (coming home) sweetheart darling (sweetheart darling)
Just my rifle, pony and me
Just my rifle, my pony and me
(Whippoorwill in the willow
Sings a sweet melody
Riding to Amarillo)
Just my rifle, pony and me

No more cows (no more cows) to be roping (to be roping)
No more strays will I see
Round the bend (round the bend) she'll be waiting (she'll be waiting)
For my rifle, pony and me
For my rifle, my pony and me

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