Cody of the Pony Express

Bob Nolan
Original copyright: 1940

In every corner of this world they boast of men so bold.
From Captain Blood to Mister Mud and England’s kings of old.
Why, every place I’ve ever been, they think their man’s the best.
But listen while I introduce a bold man of the West.

Refrain:
A thunderbolt bust and then a big cloud of dust
And out rides Cody of the Pony Express
Totin’ the mail beside him, he knows the trail to guide him,
Cody of the Pony Express.

Now, the Injuns wait by the canyon’s gate to take Bill by surprise
But they’ll never beat the mustang feet of the fastest horse alive.
So, over the rim he’s running,
Racing the wind, he’s coming,
Cody of the Pony Express!

Why I once saw Cody fight his way through a thousand Indian braves
Riding on a two-ton buffalo’s back, he jumped on an Indian’s grave
Then he took a half hitch in the buffalo’s tail and swing him ‘round and ‘round
Says, “Step up close, you red galoots, I’ll mo-o-o-o-w you down!”

This one is one of Bob Nolan's fast-paced comic songs written for Pat Brady in The Thundering West, a Columbia Pictures film starring Charles Starrett. The song was never commercially recorded by the Sons of the Pioneers, but they did record it for the Orthacoustic Symphonies of the Sage and later for the Smokey the Bear radio show transcriptions. The last verse did not appear in the original sheet music but was used in the film and the Orthacoustic recording. They also performed it on their live Lucky U Ranch radio programs. "Captain Blood" refers to a popular 1935 Errol Flynn picture.

Cross & Winge, Inc. had the song registered for copyright for Bob in his Bob Nolan’s Song Folio of Original Cowboy Classics No. 2, in 1940.

Cody of the Pony Express (Cross & Winge, Inc.)

SONS OF THE PIONEERS TRANSCRIPTION RECORDINGS

Orthacoustic Symphonies of the Sage (064073)
Teleways Radio Production transcriptions, Nos. 2, 136, and 213 (c. 1947-48)
Smokey the Bear radio show, show No. 10 (1956)
Lucky U Ranch radio show (courtesy of Larry Hopper)
- Transcription disc TR-91/92 (November 14, 1951)
- Transcription disc TR-95/96 (November 15, 1951)
- Transcription disc TR-99/100 (November 16, 1951)
- Transcription disc TR-103/104 (November 19, 1951)
- Transcription disc TR-170/171 (December 31, 1951)
- Transcription disc TR-266/267 (March 4, 1952)
- Transcription disc TR-331/332 (April 18, 1952)
- Transcription disc TR-357/358 (May 7, 1952)
- Transcription disc TR-551/552 (November 6, 1952)