Sam Bass: The Ballad and the Man

Western Folklore, Summer 2003 by McEntire, Nancy Cassell

Thorp reveals here not only the editorial task of "cleaning up" texts for publication, but also of gathering ballads several stanzas at a time in order to assemble a composite text for publication.2

The text and tune for the ballad appear in John Lomax's 1910 edition of Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads, the most widely circulated collection of cowboy songs ever published (Logsdon 1989:300). According to Thorp, John Lomax, "who recorded it on a cylinder [Library of Congress] (No. 51)3 in Oklahoma or Texas between 1908 and 1910, said that it was composed at Fort Worth by a friend of the outlaw himself." Lomax later ascribed it to John Denton (Thorp 1966:113).4

Lomax noted that "Sam Bass" was sung throughout the West, in the Ozark Mountains, and the mountain ranges of Tennessee and Kentucky (1947:59). he offered this opinion: "The opening stanza of the ballad of Sam Bass, as first sung by Texas cowboys, authorship unknown, includes many of the material facts of the life of this famous outlaw. Frank Dobie calls it a model opening stanza for all ballads" (1947:56):

Sam Bass was born in Indiana, it was his native home,

And at the age of seventeen young Sam began to roam.

Sam first came out to Texas a cowboy for to be-

A kinder-hearted fellow you seldom ever see.

Sam used to deal in race-stock, one called the Denton mare;

He matched her in scrub races and took her to the fair.

Sam used to coin the money, and spent it just as free;

he always drank good whiskey wherever he might be.

Sam left the Collins ranch in the merry month of May,

With a herd of Texas cattle the Black Hills for to see;

Sold out in Custer City, and then got on a spree-

A harder set of cowboys you seldom ever see.

On their way back to Texas they robbed the U.P. train,

And then split up in couples and started out again;

Joe Collins and his partner were overtaken soon,

With all their hard-earned money they had to meet their doom.

Sam made it back to Texas, all right side up with care;

Rode into town of Denton with all his friends to share.

Sam's life was short in Texas; three robberies did he do:

he robbed all the passenger, mail, and express cars too.

Sam had four companions-four bold and daring lads-

They were Richardson, Jackson, Joe Collins, and Old Dad;

Four more bold and daring cowboys the Rangers never knew,

They whipped the Texas Rangers and ran the boys in blue.

Sam and another companion, called Arkansas for short,

Was shot by a Texas Ranger by the name of Thomas Floyd;

Oh, Tom is a big six-footer and thinks he's mighty fly,

But I can tell you his racket-he's a deadbeat on the sly.

Jim Murphy was arrested, and then released on bail;

He jumped his bond at Tyler and then took the train for Terrell;

But Mayor Jones had posted Jim and that was all a stall,

'Twas only a plan to capture Sam before the coming fall.

Sam met his fate at Round Rock, july the twenty-first,

They pierced poor Sam with rifle balls and emptied out his purse.

Poor Sam he is a corpse and six foot under clay,

And Jackson's in the bushes trying to get away.