Home on the Range est une chanson américaine considérée comme une classique du genre western et un symbole du Far West.
Hymne officiel de l'État de Kansas depuis le 30 juin 1947[1], ele est tirée d'un poème intitulé My Western Home écrit en 1872 par le docteur Brewster Higley(en) (1823–1911) qui s'était installé au comté de Smith au Kansas en vertu du « Homestead Act », et mis en musique quelque temps plus tard par son ami Daniel E. Kelley(en) (1808–1905).
Bing Crosby l'a enregistré en 1933[2], et a sorti un album avec ce titre en 1956
Oh, Give Me a Home on the Range (Brewster Higley, Smith County Pioneer, 1873, Levi Moris/W. H. Nelson)
Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, Where the deer and antelope play, Where never is heard a discouraging word And the sky is not clouded all day. Refrain A home, a home where the deer and the antelope play, Where never is heard a discouraging word And the sky is not clouded all day. Oh, give me the gale of the Solomon vale, Where light streams with buoyancy flow, On the banks of the Beaver, where seldom if ever, Any poisonous herbage doth grow. Refrain Oh, give me the land where the bright diamond sand Throws light from its glittering stream, Where glideth along the graceful white swan Like a maid in her heavenly dream Refrain I love these wild flowers in this bright land of ours, I love, too, the curlew's wild scream, The bluffs of white rocks and antelope flocks That graze on our hillsides so green. Refrain How often at night, when the heavens are bright By the light of the glittering stars, Have I stood there amazed and asked as I gazed If their beauty exceeds this of ours. Refrain The air is so pure the breezes so light, The zephyrs so balmy at night, I would not exchange my home here to range Forever in azure so bright. Refrain
A Home on the Range (John A. Lomax, Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads, 1910)[3]
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. Refrain Home, home on the range, Where the deer and the antelope play; Where seldom is heard a discouraging word And the skies are not cloudy all day. Where the air is so pure, the zephyrs so free, The breezes so balmy and light, That I would not exchange my home on the range For all of the cities so bright. Refrain The red man was pressed from this part of the West, He's likely no more to return To the banks of Red River where seldom if ever Their flickering camp-fires burn. Refrain How often at night when the heavens are bright With the light from the glittering stars, Have I stood here amazed and asked as I gazed If their glory exceeds that of ours. Refrain Oh, I love these wild flowers in this dear land of ours, The curlew I love to hear scream, And I love the white rocks and the antelope flocks That graze on the mountain-tops green. Refrain Oh, give me a land where the bright diamond sand Flows leisurely down the stream; Where the graceful white swan goes gliding along Like a maid in a heavenly dream. Refrain Then I would not exchange my home on the range, Where the deer and the antelope play; Where seldom is heard a discouraging word And the skies are not cloudy all day. Refrain
↑(en) John A. Lomax, Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads, New York, Sturgis & Walton Company, , 39–43 p. (OCLC7288334, LCCN10030589), « A Home on the Range »
