# Ghost Riders In The Sky **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 22, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358 "2011-04-22T14:44:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/21 "2011-04-22T22:43:02Z")
Except they never quite catch up to the herd. There’s no lassoing them and bringing them in and sitting around the fire with beans and a harmonica, just the endless chase. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/22 "2011-04-22T22:43:36Z")
That’s a good take. I hadn’t considered it that way before. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/23 "2011-04-22T22:49:09Z")
Without a doubt the best version - [Johnny Cash and Friends](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5HRSmLlaiA). ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/24 "2011-04-22T22:51:56Z")
In case y’all haven’t bothered with it, here’s the Wiki story: > **[(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(Ghost)_Riders_in_the_Sky:_A_Cowboy_Legend)** > > "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend"\[a\] is a cowboy-styled country/western song written in 1948 by American songwriter Stan Jones. > A number of versions were crossover hits on the pop charts in 1949, the most successful being by Vaughn Monroe. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as the greatest western song of all time. > The song tells a folk tale of a cowboy who has a vision of red-eyed, steel-hooved cattle thundering across the sky, being chased by the spirits of damned c... Maybe somebody can help me find the story behind the song that Stan Jones was watching an approaching storm when the idea came to him. Wiki says: > [@](#): > > Jones said that he had been told the story when he was 12 years old by an old cowboy friend.[3] The story resembles the northern European mythic Wild Hunt. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/25 "2011-04-22T23:00:57Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Except they never quite catch up to the herd. There’s no lassoing them and bringing them in and sitting around the fire with beans and a harmonica, just the endless chase. Quite true. It is what is called a [Sisyphean Task](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus#.22Sisyphean_task.22). Incidentally, while we’re on the subject of mythology, “Ghost Rider in the Sky” is a modern retelling of the old European myth of [The Wild Hunt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Hunt). For the record, my favorite version of the song is one by [Dick Dale](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6M6kd8cmpI&feature=related) (which he blends with “Apache”). ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/26 "2011-04-22T23:55:53Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Without a doubt the best version - [Johnny Cash and Friends](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5HRSmLlaiA). I’ve just listened to all the versions in this thread, and this is the best! Although for seriousness, Marty Robbins just takes it over Cash’s original. Thanks to the OP for starting this thread! ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/27 "2011-04-23T00:29:54Z")
[The Spike Jones version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4bMHp3nEIQ) may ruin the song for you forever. Beware. “This is a cowboy legend? Oy!” ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/28 "2011-04-23T05:55:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Except they never quite catch up to the herd. There’s no lassoing them and bringing them in and sitting around the fire with beans and a harmonica, just the endless chase. Besides, cowboy heaven would be a $3 whore and an endless bottle of whiskey (or beer, depending). ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2011, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/29 "2011-04-23T06:20:48Z")
You can’t leave out a cowboy’s horse in heaven. **Zeldar** , do you remember seeing a version of how and why that particular song was written? Still, the father (grandfather?) may well have swiped the idea from **The Wild Hunt**. **Czarcasm** , this is one of my all time favorite songs. It has always given me chills to hear it. Good thread! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/30 "2011-04-23T13:10:36Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > **Zeldar** , do you remember seeing a version of how and why that particular song was written? Still, the father (grandfather?) may well have swiped the idea from **The Wild Hunt**. If you’re thinking about something on TV about the backstory of the writing of the song, then perhaps I did see such a thing. However, the thing I’m vaguely remembering is more along the lines of [http://www.jukkajoutsi.com/jonesstan.html](http://www.jukkajoutsi.com/jonesstan.html) > [@](#): > > B) An impressionable 12 year old rode to the top of an Arizona hill one afternoon with an old cowboy friend by the name of Cap Watts to check a windmill quite a ways out of town. A big storm was building and they needed to lock the blades down before the wind hit. When finished, they paused to watch the clouds darken and spread across the sky. > As lightning flashed, Cap told the boy to watch closely and he would see the Devil’s Herd, their eyes red and hooves flashing, stampede ahead of phantom horsemen. Cap warned the youth that if he didn’t watch himself, he would someday be up there with them, chasing steers for all eternity. The terrified boy jumped on his horse and took off for the the safety of home. Years later, he recalled that scary, dark afternoon and on his 34th birthday, Stan Jones sat outside his Death Valley home and wrote “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky.” This is close enough to what I’m trying to remember that it may well be the very thing – unless somebody’s else’s version gives even more details. A search on “stan jones ghost riders cap watts” produced [Echoes: Ghost riders in the sky](http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/column.php?id=62235) and dozens more hits that I have yet to investigate. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/31 "2011-04-23T13:55:51Z")
My stepfather was a bartender for a lot of years and pretty much hated all music. The only song he could abide was the Monroe version of _Ghost Riders_. I always thought he was weird for not liking music, but respected his choice of this classic. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2011, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/32 "2011-04-23T14:05:24Z")
This may be of some interest to fans of this thread: [http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The\_Wild\_Hunt/70124586?trkid=2361637#height945](http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_Wild_Hunt/70124586?trkid=2361637#height945) [The Wild Hunt (2009)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1493886/) Looks like the DVD may not be out yet. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/33 "2011-04-23T21:01:28Z")
**Zeldar** , that sounds like what I saw. I was thinking the old man wrote the song, but it was the kid after he was grown. The older man could have had the legend passed down to him. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/34 "2011-04-24T00:40:59Z")
> [@tripthicket](#): > > Think of your favorite thing to do. Yes, even that. Now imagine doing it as hard and as fast as you’ve ever been able to do it, maybe even harder and faster than that. _Now_ imagine never, ever, _ **EVER** _ being able to stop or slow down. Sooner or later, even if it’s years or decades or centuries later, your pleasure will turn to torment. If your stampede lasts longer than four hours, seek medical attention. To me Johnny Cash edges out Monroe, primarily because Cash’s voice is more gritty. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/35 "2011-04-24T04:24:33Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Big fan of Johnny Cash’s and Willie Nelson’s [live duet](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fdCuRKatjs). > > Not a big fan of [Debbie Harry’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt0mJDzTbyo&feature=related) version. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > It sure as hell beats [Sha Na Na’s version.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iifoq3VKYW8&feature=related) And now for something completely different, Scatman Crothers’ [version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBYAis7akKw&feature=related). Not traditional. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/36 "2011-04-24T11:07:49Z")
[Mario del Monaco](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7utTxalDLQ&feature=related)’s version is Verdiesque. But seriously, Monroe and Cash both had the proper ominous timbre in their voices for this song, but all others listed here are just trying hard. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/37 "2011-04-24T18:46:44Z")
Silly folks, you can’t merengue to the Johnny Cash version…[Ned Sublette’s version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwfOdB8Dbgk), however… ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/38 "2011-04-24T20:07:41Z")
Much like the song Iron Man by Black Sabbath, this song was used in a comic book movie (Ghost Rider) that has little to do with the song other than sharing the same name. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/39 "2011-04-25T00:43:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Mario del Monaco’s version is Verdiesque. Now _that’s_ Spaghetti Western. ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358/40 "2011-04-25T15:45:02Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > (warning-YouTube links)When it comes to timeless classics, I think this one defines the term. I don’t think I’ve heard a real bad version, but I know that I’ve had the pleasure of listening to dozens of good takes on this masterpiece. My favorite is actually the first one, released by [Burl Ives](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2klh2cTa_Q&feature=related), while my second favorite is [Neil La Vang](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMdS9ExnW-w&feature=related) from(believe it or not) The Lawrence Welk Show. I don’t believe it You have actually found something I can listen to on the _Lawrence Welk Show_. Why the hell didn’t they play this on one of those nights I was forced to watch with my Grandparents?!? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-riders-in-the-sky/579358.md?page=3)