"Red Wing" is a popular song written in

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...

with music by F.A Mills and lyrics by

Thurland Chattaway Thurland Chattaway (April 8, 1872 – November 12, 1947) was an American composer of popular music, active from approximately 1898 to 1912. He is best known for writing the words to the popular 1907 hit " Red Wing" with Kerry Mills. Other son ...

. Mills adapted the music of the verse from

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

's piano composition "The Happy Farmer, Returning From Work" from his 1848 ''

Album for the Young ''Album for the Young'' ('), Op. 68, was composed by Robert Schumann in 1848 for his three daughters. The album consists of a collection of 43 short works. Unlike the ', they are suitable to be played by children or beginners. The second part, st ...

'', Opus 68. The song tells of a young Indian girl's loss of her sweetheart who has died in battle.

Lyrics

:There once lived an Indian maid, :A shy little prairie maid, :Who sang all day a love song gay, :As on the plains she'd while away the day. :She loved a warrior bold, :This shy little maid of old, :But brave and gay he rode one day :To battle far away. :Now the moon shines tonight on pretty Red Wing, :The breeze is sighing, the night bird's crying, :For afar 'neath his star her brave is sleeping,in later versions usually: "For a far far away her brave is dying" :While Red Wing's weeping her heart away. :She watched for him day and night; :She lit all the campfires bright; :And under the sky each night, she would lie :And dream about his coming by and by, :But when all the braves returned, :The heart of Red Wing yearned, :For far, far away, her warrior gay :Fell bravely in the fray. :Now the moon shines tonight on pretty Red Wing, :The breeze is sighing, the night bird's crying, :For afar 'neath his star her brave is sleeping, :While Red Wing's weeping her heart away.

Covers

The song has been recorded numerous times in many styles. It was sung by

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

in the 1943 film '' In Old Oklahoma'' and again by

and Lee Marvin in the 1961 film '' The Comancheros'' and finally by

and

Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Aw ...

in the 1976 film '' The Shootist''. In 1950 Oscar Brand recorded a bawdy version in his ''Bawdy Songs & Backroom Ballads, Volume 3''. *The song was connected with and often performed by actress

Princess Red Wing Princess Red Wing, aka Mary E. (Glasko) Congdon, (March 21, 1896–December 2, 1987) was a Narragansett and Wampanoag elder, historian, folklorist, and museum curator. She was an expert on American Indian history and culture, and she once addressed ...

. It "achieved a folk song-like popularity" and became a standard for"Native American fiddlers". Its name refers to Red Wing, Minnesota, which is named for

Mdewakanton Dakota The Mdewakanton or Mdewakantonwan (also spelled ''Mdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'' and currently pronounced ''Bdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'') are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti (Santee) Dakota (Sioux). Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake (Dakota: ''Mde Wá ...

Chief Red Wing. * Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys recorded a Western swing cover of Red Wing in the 1940s. * George Lewis helped make it a standard of the traditional jazz revival era. *An instrumental version, with Chet Atkins on guitar, was released by

Asleep at the Wheel Asleep at the Wheel is an American Western swing group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted more t ...

in 1993. *American roots music group

The Steel Wheels The Steel Wheels are an Americana Roots Folk Rock band based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Biography The Steel Wheel release albums under their own label, Big Ring Records. During the first few months of the pandemic and cessation ...

recorded a version with new lyrics in 2011. * Slim Whitman, country music singer

In popular culture

The chorus of Red Wing is the jingle for the Ice Cream Wagon ice cream truck company of Denver, Colorado. The music has been played during intermissions at Olympia Stadium, Joe Louis Arena, and Little Caesars Arena ever since the Detroit Falcons became the Detroit Red Wings.

"Union Maid" by Woody Guthrie

In 1940 Woody Guthrie wrote new lyrics to the tune, retitled "

Union Maid "Union Maid" is a union song, with lyrics written by Woody Guthrie in response to a request for a union song from a female point of view. The melody is the 1907 standard " Red Wing" by Kerry Mills, which was in turn adapted from Robert Schumann' ...

". Guthrie's are perhaps the most famous of alternative words for the song; his song begins: :There once was a union maid, she never was afraid :Of goons and ginks and company finks and the deputy sheriffs who made the raid. :She went to the union hall when a meeting it was called, :And when the Legion boys come 'round :She always stood her ground. :Oh, you can't scare me, I'm sticking to the union, :I'm sticking to the union, I'm sticking to the union. :Oh, you can't scare me, I'm sticking to the union, :I'm sticking to the union 'til the day I die.

The Moon Shines Bright on Charlie Chaplin

Red Wing was parodied in a version popular among British troops during the First World War, which begins with the line, "Now the moon shines bright on

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

." This variant originated in response to the comedian's refusal to enlist, and was featured in the movie ''

Oh! What A Lovely War ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' is a 1969 British comedy musical war film directed by Richard Attenborough (in his directorial debut), with an ensemble cast, including Maggie Smith, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Oli ...

''. It was subsequently perpetuated among British schoolchildren. During the 1970s, Harry Boardman and the

Oldham Tinkers Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...

folk group recorded a version incorporating all of the verses that they remembered from their childhood.

First World War

The following version was published in 1916 by B. Feldman.The Moon Shines Bright on Charlie Chaplin
/ref> :You've sung of the boys in blue, :You've sung of their girls so true, :You've marched to the strain of the well-known refrain :Of "Who's Your Lady Friend?" and "Tipperary" too, :Our Tommies so brave and strong :Have sung ev'ry kind of song :But what is the lay they're singing today :As they go marching along? ::Refrain ::When the moon shines bright on Charlie Chaplin ::His shoes are cracking, for want of blacking ::And his little baggy trousers they want mending ::Before we send him to the Dardanelles. :Some day there will come a time :To "Wind up the Watch on the Rhine", :And Tommy and Jack will come marching back :And take a cup for the sake of "

Auld Lang Syne "Auld Lang Syne" (: note "s" rather than "z") is a popular song, particularly in the English-speaking world. Traditionally, it is sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. By extension, it is also often ...

". :But ere that happy day :The Germans have got to pay, :When we march in to capture Berlin :We will sing this little lay. ::Refrain A variant of the refrain goes ::When the moon shines bright on Charlie Chaplin ::His boots are cracking, for want of blacking ::And the bottoms of his shoes, they won't need mending ::Before they send him to the Dardanelles. Another variant (some years later, and without the war reference) goes ::Oh, the moon shines bright on Charlie Chaplin ::His boots are cracking, they need a blacking ::And his old gray trousers need a patching ::Cause he's been scratching ::Mosquito bites!

Oldham Tinkers

::Refrain ::The moon shines bright on Charlie Chaplin ::His boots are crackin’ for want of blackin‘ ::And his owd fusty coat is wanting mending ::Until they send him to the Dardenelles :Charlie Chaplin had no sense :He bought a flute for 18 pence :But the only tune that he could play :Was ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay ::Refrain :Charlie Chaplin meek and mild :Stole a sausage from a child :But when the child began to cry :Charlie socked him in the eye ::Refrain :Charlie Chaplin went to France :To teach the ladies how to dance :First you heel, and then you toe :Lift your skirts and up you go ::Refrain :Charlie Chaplin Chuck-Chuck-Chuck :Went to bed with three white ducks :One died and Charlie cried :Charlie Chaplin Chuck-Chuck-Chuck ::Refrain

References

External links

"Red Wing"
Frederick H. Potter with the Edison Male Quartette ( Edison Gold Moulded 9622, 1907)—
Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project
'.
"Red Wing" (Sheet music)"
mdas
The Charles H. Templeton, Sr. Sheet Music CollectionMississippi State University
*

Union Maid lyricsOh Meriahnya Raya!
by Omar & Hana, a Malay language Islamic children's song to the tune of "Red Wing" {{DEFAULTSORT:Red Wing (Song) Songs about Native Americans 1907 songs American popular music Bluegrass songs Western music (North America) Western swing songs Songs with music by Kerry Mills Songs with lyrics by Thurland Chattaway