The Lone Writer 8 months agoAugust 17, 2022

Western Song: Rawhide

Rawhide is a western song used as the theme for the western television series, Rawhide, that ran on CBS from 1959 to 1966. Because the show has a Western theme, composer Dimitri Tiomkin and lyricist Ned Washington were asked to write the music, as they wrote songs for several famous Western films, including Wild Is The Wind and High Noon.

The song is about a drover’s job on a cattle drive. The song mimics the sounds of a cattle drive, as the cattleman calls out instructions and crackling his whip. Rawhide is an animal skin that has not been treated and made into leather, usually used to make whips.

Frankie Laine originally recorded the song and it was chosen by the members of The Western Writers of America as one of the Top 100 Western Songs of all time.

Table of Contents

Popular Recordings

Various artists covered the song and some of the popular recordings are made by the following artists:

Dan Sartain
101 Strings Orchestra
Big John Bates
The Blues Brothers
Johnny Cash
Frank Chacksfield and his Orchestra
Dezperadoz
Ensiferum
Greenbriar Boys
Helgi Björnsson
The Jackson 5
Dead Kennedys
Frankie Laine
Litfiba
The Men They Couldn’t Hang
The Meteors
Liza Minnelli
Nassim
Oingo Boingo
Riders in the Sky
Sheb Wooley
Jan Rot
Sublime
Johnny Western
The Chaps
The Survivors

Rawhide Film Appearance

The song has been used in many other movies including:

The Blues Brothers
Happy Feet Two
Shrek 2
The Year of Maria
My Favorite Martian
Bye Bye Love
This Boy’s Life
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
City Slickers
The Lemon Sisters
Good Morning, Vietnam

Listen (Frankie Laine Version)

Rawhide Lyrics

Rollin' rollin' rollin'
Rollin' rollin' rollin'
Rollin' rollin' rollin'
Rollin' rollin' rollin'
Rawhide

Keep rollin', rollin', rollin'
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them dogies rollin', rawhide
Through rain and wind and weather
Hell bent for leather
Wishin' my gal was by my side
All the things I'm missin'
Good vittles, love and kissin'
Are waiting at the end of my ride

Move 'em on, head 'em up
Head 'em up, move 'em on
Move 'em on, head 'em up, rawhide
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in
Ride 'em in, cut 'em out
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in, rawhide

Keep movin', movin', movin'
Though they're disapprovin'
Keep them dogies movin', rawhide
Don't try to understand 'em
Just rope 'em, throw, and brand 'em
Soon we'll be livin' high and wide
My heart's calculatin'
My true love will be waitin'
Be waitin' at the end of my ride

Move 'em on, head 'em up
Head 'em up, move 'em on
Move 'em on, head 'em up, rawhide
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in
Ride 'em in, cut 'em out
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in, rawhide

Rollin' rollin' rollin'
Rollin' rollin' rollin'
Rollin' rollin' rollin'
Rollin' rollin' rollin'
Rawhide
Rawhide

The Lone Writer

The Lone Writer is an American frontier and Old West journalist and historian. He loves to read, write and review all things western, whether historical or fiction.