Higley, Brewster -- “My Western Home,” Smith County Pioneer (1873-11)

Dave — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 20:31:43 +0000

Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Brewster Higley (1823-1911) American physician, poet
“My Western Home,” Smith County Pioneer (1873-11)
(Source)

Set to music by Daniel Kelley (1843-1905), a friend of Higley's. The song was published in 1910 by John Lomax in Cowboy Songs as an anonymous cowboy tune, and revised and retitled by David Guion for a Broadway show in 1930. It became widely popular when President Franklin Roosevelt said in 1933 that it was a favorite of his.

The oldest extant published version is in the Kirwin Chief, Vol. 3, No. 1 (1876-02-26). The lyrics for this verse are the same, except the final line, which reads "And the sky is not clouded all day."

In 1847, it was made the state song of Kansas by the legislature.

More information about this song see:

WIST Quotations

Higley, Brewster -- “My Western Home,” Smith County Pioneer (1873-11)