Singing His Cattle Call

One of the first albums I ever bought was Eddy Arnold's The Best Of Eddy Arnold which included songs like Make The World Go Away, Anytime, What's He Doing In My World, You Don't Know Me and Cattle Call. I had no reason to buy this album as I had never heard of the singer and did not know any of the songs. But that was the way I bought records sometimes-if it called to me I would buy it. This record called to me.

The song I loved the most on the album was Cattle Call. When the first notes of Eddy's yodelling hit my ears I was mesmerized. I had heard western yodelling before in old Gene Autry movies but this, this was different is some way. This sound was as clear as a mountain stream and made my heart soar. It seemed to touch my soul and I could not stop playing it over and over.

Last month when I was at Starbucks I saw a CD called Vintage Country and on it was Cattle Call. I bought it and could not wait to play it. When I did, and the first notes of Eddy's yodelling hit my ears, I felt my heart soar and got the feeling that in someway the sound was reaching deep into my soul just as it did when I was a kid.

Yesterday I learned that Eddy Arnold died. In memory of him I put my copy of Vintage Country in my CD player, set it for the track that contained Cattle Call and cranked it up.




(Yodel)

The cattle are prowlin', the coyotes are howlin'
Way out where the dogies bawl
Where spurs are a-jinglin', a cowboy is singin'
This lonesome cattle call.

(Yodel)

He rides in the sun, 'til his days work is done
And he rounds up the cattle each fall
Woo - doo - doo - ooo - ti - de
Singin' his cattle call.

(Yodel)

For hours he will ride on the range far and wide
When the night winds blow up a squall
His heart is a feather, in all kinds of weather
He sings his cattle call.

(Yodel)

He's brown as a berry from ridin' the prairie
And he sings with an ol' western drawl
Woo - doo - doo- ooo - ti - de
Singin' his cattle call.

(Yodel)

It makes my heart soar every time.

More about Eddy Arnold here.