Topic: South Dakota Folk Song

[joebanjo]

Fellow Weenies! Your lyric collective transcribing powers are called to action.

Dust to Digital recently highlighted a photo of a South Dakota singer, the posting of which on Facebook lead to this song being posted:

http://sdohc.blogspot.com/2012/01/songs-from-oral-history-center-rose-mae.html

See the comments of Dust to Digital's 2nd posting of Rosemae DeSersa's photo: http://www.45cat.com/artist/rose-mae-lapointe

Here is my transcription, aided already by commenters on the post informing me of local landmarks--can you help me nail it down?


Where the little white river cuts a canyon,
Through the rambling rosebud reservation
Tahca Sapa loafed upon his pillow
Hunting phantoms on the buffalo run.

   [Come] phantom buffalo, Tahca Sapa,
   Down the canyon and across the prairie,
   Forever low from Spring Creek to Ring Thunder
   Ride your pony. Your dreams can never be.

Like old hunters in the tales told nightly
In the summer camp below Grass Mountain
He could see buff?lo by the thousands
Sweep the prairie like a thundering sea.

   Chorus

Weaving through the tangled canyon bottoms
Splashing in its sparkling blue lit water,
Tahca Sapa [is racing below]
With the steady beat of indian drums

   Chorus

Past the yellow cliff and red rock outcrop,
Through the green of pines and wild palm bushes
All about he sighed at phantom hook marks
Left by hearts that beating never to stop.

   Chorus

Over swelling sweets of fragrant prairie
Tahcha Sapa it?s the fleeting white clouds
Fleeing faster than his youthful daydreams
From the fenced-in range no buffalos see.

   Chorus


Spring Creek to Ring Thunder are local landmarks in South Dakota

Tahca Sapa / Black Deer - a native American, possibly of the Sioux tribe

[Johnm]

Hi Joe,
I really like the singer's voice.  I think I'm hearing a few of the lyrics differently.

   * I suspect White River and Rosebud Reservation in the first verse should be capitalized.
   * I think the first word in the chorus is "hunt" rather than "come"
   * I think the third line in the chorus is:  Forever LOPE from Spring Creek to Ring Thunder
   * In verse two, I think the third line is:  He could see THE buffalo by the thousands
   * In verse three, I think the third line is:  Tahca Sapa RODE, HE'S RACING DOWN
   * In verse four, I think the second line is:  Through the green of pines and wild PLUM bushes
   * In verse four, I think the third and fourth lines are:
         All about he SIGHTED PHANTOM HOOFMARKS
         Left by HERDS STAMPEDING, never to stop
   * I think verse five is:
         Over swelling SWEEPS of fragrant prairie
         Tahca Sapa RACED the fleeting white cloud
         Fleeing faster than his youthful daydreams
         From the fenced-in range no BUFFALO see

I hope some of this helps.
All best,
Johnm