Song of the Rover

Bob Nolan
Original copyright: Held by Columbia Pictures 1944

I’ve been away but there’ll come a day so, Darling, don’t you cry.
Here comes your rover, coming home!
Packing my pack and back on track and straight as an arrow flies,
Here comes your rover, coming home!
Back to the open range and roping one little gal I knew.
Back to the waving sage and saving all my love for you.
Open the gate and stand there waiting, smile as I come by.
Here comes your rover, coming home!

I’ve got a yearning home fires burning, Darling, don’t you cry.
Here comes your rover, coming home!
I see the light of your eyes so bright and I see a clear blue sky.
Here comes your rover coming home!
Out of a storm cloud into a warm cloud, timing each step to you.
Watching the rainbow down by the lane go climbing to heaven, too.
One little mile more save me a smile for, Darling, you know why--
Here comes your rover coming home!

“I’m the kind of a guy that can’t stay put in one place too long. I’m too much of a rover. The whole west is my home and I love every part of it. Of all the songs I’ve written to the west, I guess this one best describes me. It’s my own song. My theme song, kinda." (Bob Nolan, introducing his song on Teleways Transcription #92)

Bob wrote this song for Yellow Rose of Texas, a 1944 Roy Rogers-Dale Evans movie. Republic Pictures still holds the copyright on this song as it was a "song-for-hire". A song registered for copyright in 1944 would be eligible for termination in 2000. Songs written under a "song-for-hire" arrangement are not eligible for termination. They remain the property of the original owner. Bob thought little of the songs he wrote for the Roy Rogers movies but this one surprised him by becoming a favorite of his audience. There is no sheet music or any other recording.

We do not have any sheet music for this song.

SONS OF THE PIONEERS COMMERCIAL RECORDINGS

NBC Thesaurus transcriptions 1965 Side a G7-MM-4672-B

10-2-4 Time radio show, No. 465 (37689-05) (January 6, 1945)

10-2-4 Time radio show, (August 11, 1945) (02)

Teleways Radio Productions transcriptions, Nos. 1, 31, 52, 92, 119, 144, 171, and 215 (c. 1947-48)