Bronco Pal (Old Bronco Pal)

Bob Nolan
Original copyright: Unknown

Refrain:
We’ve traveled the winding trails,
We know the sun and the windy gales,
Old bronco pal.
I’ve followed your pounding feet
With all their rhythm my heart would beat,
Old bronco pal.
Yippee-ay, we’re off to a northern land.
Yippee-o, then back to the Rio Grande.
Someday, where an angel waits,
I’ll ride you up to the Pearly Gates,
Old bronco pal.

We’ve traveled the winding trails,
We know the sun and the windy gales,
Old bronco pal.
I’ve followed your pounding feet
With all their rhythm my heart would beat,
Old bronco pal.
Yippee-ay, we’re off to a northern land.
Yippee-o, then back to the Rio Grande.
Someday, where an angel waits,
I’ll ride you up to the Pearly Gates,
Old bronco pal.

We’ve always been pals together, you and I.
Old bronco, you’re just the same as the years go by—
Faithful buddies, you and me.
That is the way it will always be
Until we die.
We’ve traveled the winding trails,
We know the sun and the windy gales,
Old bronco pal.
I’ve followed your pounding feet
With all their rhythm my heart would beat,

Old bronco pal.
Yippee-ay, we’re off to a northern land.
Yippee-o, then back to the Rio Grande.
Someday, where an angel waits,
I’ll ride you up to the Pearly Gates,
Old bronco pal.

The bridge is sung by an unidentified singer and mimed by Bob in Rio Grande (1938 – Columbia/Starrett. There are various ideas as to the identification of the voice. Some are certain it belonged to Don Grayson.

"The first section of the song, which is repeated, is the chorus (or vocal refrain). The middle part is the verse, which in this case is used as a "bridge" between repeats of the chorus. Although usually written to introduce a song, verses were often used between choruses of a song as is the verse is in “Bronco Pal”."
(Wayne Austin Shrope)

"Bronco Pal" was never recorded commercially. A typed copy of the lyrics was found in the collection belonging to each of the Sons of the Pioneers, so the song was part of their repertoire. As part of his $33.00 a week salary, his song was "a work for hire" and Columbia Pictures retained the copyright.

Suzette Spencer Marshall transcribed the song into sheet music in 2004.

Typed copy of the lyrics from Bob Nolan's repertoire box