Don't Fence Me In - Red Hot & Blue
I'm still on a Western kick too. DFMI is often credited simply to Cole Porter, but in fact Porter (for once) worked up a set of lyrics supplied to him in 1934 by film producer Lou Brock, who wanted them for a soundtrack to a movie he was producing: '
Adios, Argentina.' Brock in his turn had obtained the lyrics from one Rob Fletcher, a Montana poet and (MT) Department of Highways engineer.
In the end, the movie was shelved, and the song did not re-surface until 1944's '
Hollywood Canteen', where it was performed by Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers (Bing Crosby also recorded a version, with the Andrews Sisters, that same year).
Although the published music gave sole credit to Porter, (Fletcher had signed away the rights to his lyrics in 1934 for $250, and Porter had in any case developed them considerably, as well as providing the two added verses), Porter did later sign over to Fletcher a portion of the song's royalties in recognition of his contribution (read more about the story
here).
Performed by David Byrne for the album
Red, Hot And Blue, the first release by the
Red Hot Organisation, a charitable foundation dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. The album was released in 1990 and both ABC-TV (US) and C4 (UK) ran TV specials featuring the album to raise money for the foundation's work on World AIDS Day 1900.
If I'd had a proper mixing deck I'd have taken the sound on the uke down a bit, but I spent a long time researching the chords to this one. If the pUKEs ever heard me playing anything as jazzy as this, I'd be thrown out on my ear!
Code:
Don't Fence Me In
(Cole Porter/Rob Fletcher (1934/1944))
F6 Bb F6 Bb F C
Wild cat Kelly, lookin' mighty pale, was
F Gm7 C7
Standin' by the sheriff's side__ and
F6 Bb F6 F7
When that sheriff said "I'm
Bb Fdim F C7
Sending you to jail
F Dm7 Bb C7
Wild Cat raised his head and
F6 F Gm7 C7
cried "Oh give me
F FM7
land lots of land Under
F6 FM7
starry skies above
F6 Bb6 F6 Gm7 C7
Don't fence me in__
Gm7 C7
Let me ride through the wide
Gm7 C7
Open country that I love
Gm7 C7 F6
Don't fence me in
F FM7 F7 F7+
Let me be by my-self in the evening breeze
Bb6 Bbm7
Listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees
F Cm Cm D7 Bbm6
Send me off forever but I ask you please
F C7 F
Don't fence me in.
F7 Gm7 F7
Just turn me
Bb F F7
loose Let me straddle my old |saddle underneath the western |skies___
F7 Gm7 F7
On my Ca-
Bb F F#dim C7
yoose Let me wander over |yonder Where the purple mountains |ri-i-ise
Gm7 C7 F FM7
I want to ride to the ridge
F7 F7+
Where the west com-men-ces
Bb6 Bbm7
Gaze at the moon 'til I lose my senses
F Cm
Can't look at hobbles and
Cm D7 Bbm
I can't stand fences
F6 C7 F6
Don't fence me in."
F6 Bb F6 Bb F C
Wild cat Kelly, back a-gain in town, was
F Gm7 C7
Sittin by his sweetheart's side__ and
F6 Bb F6 F7
When his sweetheart said "Come
Bb Fdim F C7
on, let's set-tle down
F Dm7 Bb C7
Wild Cat raised his head and
F6 F Gm7 C7
cried "Oh give me
F FM7
land lots of land Under
F6 FM7
starry skies above
F6 Bb6 F6 Gm7 C7
Don't fence me in__
Gm7 C7
Let me ride through the wide
Gm7 C7
Open country that I love
Gm7 C7 F6
Don't fence me in
F FM7 F7 F7+
Let me be by my-self in the evening breeze
Bb6 Bbm7
Listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees
F Cm Cm D7 Bbm6
Send me off forever but I ask you please
F C7 F
Don't fence me in.
F7 Gm7 F7
Just turn me
Bb F F7
loose Let me straddle my old |saddle underneath the western |skies___
F7 Gm7 F7
On my Ca-
Bb F F#dim C7
yoose Let me wander over |yonder Where the purple mountains |ri-i-ise
Gm7 C7 F FM7
I want to ride to the ridge
F7 F7+
Where the west com-men-ces
Bb6 Bbm7
Gaze at the moon 'til I lose my senses
F Cm
Can't look at hobbles and
Cm D7 Bbm
I can't stand fences
F6 C7 F6
Don't fence me in
F6 C7 F6
Don't fence me in.
F6 C7 F
Don't fence me in."