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"Streets of :Laredo" WAS about a guy dead ofr syphilis!

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twistedude:
Just heard Al Schweringen (sp?), the good guy-bad guy of "Deadwood" (HBO) singing it at the end of tonight's episode. c. 1875. At first I thought he was just singing Streets of Ladedo" very fast, cause the tune was the same, and then I realized that the words were all different. Only caught 'If she had informed me/ before she disordered me...and then something about "white salts of mercury." I knew mercury was the drug (?) of choice for syphilis--not that it did any good---but the idea was that mercury would hopefully kill the disease beforre it killed YOU. Also, people still had no IDEA of how long lasting, all encompossing and totally deadly the disease was. And how varied.  Later in the song, there's something about "drums" and "pipes" but I couldn't catch how they were to be played. Old Schweringen seemed pretty cheerful about it...

It wasn't till 1943 that penicillin was ackoiwledged to be an effecrtive drug against syphilis.  There were none before it.

vkm91941:
Sorry to disagree Julie, watched it twice because the ballad Al sings is strangely familiar but it is definitely not "Streets of Laredo".. I plan to watch again at 9 tonight just to see if it is listed in the credits at the end.  No mention on the HBO-Deadwood sight except that " Al performs his own sad ballad on Amatuer Night...to an audience of none, alone at the Gem."

As you can see from the lyrics to Streets of Laredo it plainly says the cowboy died from a gun shot to the breast.

As I walked out in the streets of Laredo
As I walked out in Laredo one day
I spied a poor cowboy wrapped up in white linen
All wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay

"I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy"
These words he did say as I proudly stepped by
"Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story
I'm shot in the breast and I know I must die

"'Twas once in the saddle I used to go ridin'
Once in the saddle I used to go gay
First lead to drinkin', and then to card-playing
I'm shot in the breast and I'm dying today

"Let six jolly cowboys come carry my coffin
Let six pretty gals come to carry my pall
Throw bunches of roses all over my coffin
Throw roses to deaden the clods as they fall

"Oh, beat the drum slowly, and play the fife lowly
And play the dead march as you carry me along
Take me to the green valley and lay the earth o'er me
For I'm a poor cowboy and I know I've done wrong"

We beat the drum slowly and played the fife lowly
And bitterly wept as we carried him along
For we all loved our comrade, so brave, young and handsome
We all loved our comrade although he done wrong

twistedude:
Victoria---it's the same TUNE, and it's about a dying guy--it's NOT "STreets of Laredo." ANYONE would know the tune. Got a FEW MORE WORDS:


BUT NOW i'M CUT DOWN IN THE HEIGHT OF MY PRIME....DON'T MUFFLE YOUR DRUMS, AND PLAY YOUR PIPES MERRILY...THERE GOES AN UNFORTUNATE LAD TO HIS HOLE.

how CAN YOU SAY THE tune ISN'T "Streets of Laredo"? It obviously is! What are you trying to say?

It's EXACTLUY the same tune! How is it you'rte sorry to disappoint me? And how are you doing it? I ain't tone deef, yet!

vkm91941:
Do not shout Julie, this is a friendly disagreement not an attack on your credibility. 

I NEVER said anything about disappointing you, I said I DISAGREE....and I do.  The tune is similar as are many from that time period but it is not the same IN MY OPINION.  It certainly is not the same tune I learned for Streets of Laredo when I was in School, the same one my sons learned.

If I learn throught my research that you are right I will be the first to publically state you were right and I was wrong.  Case Closed    Please calm down.   As to the state of your hearing and being tone deaf how would I have any knowledge of that?

opinionista:
Speaking of Laredo: This is Laredo... SPAIN! The original Laredo, that is. Nothing to do with cowboys (or syphillis)  ;D  Some Spanish conquistadores were from Laredo, now a small city in the province of Cantabria, north of Spain.

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