Gene Autry was king of the cowboy movie. With a 60 year reign in the entertainment industry, Autry’s reach spanned much further than movies, branching into radio, TV, and music. His 1939 hit “Back in the Saddle Again” is a feel-good song about a cowboy who simply wants to ride his horse again. The country tune is a story of the singing cowboy’s view of the west with ties to Texan ideology, with lyrics clearly depicting western America as superior territory.
Born in Tioga, Texas in 1907, Gene Autry was raised in both Texas and Oklahoma. His first on-screen appearance was in 1934, where he played himself in In Old Santa Fe. It was five years later that Autry recorded “Back in the Saddle Again,” released by Columbia Records on April 18, 1939, and later released on Conqueror and OKeH. “Back in the Saddle Again” was originally written by Ray Whitley for a movie called Border G-Men, but Autry purchased the tune from Whitley for $350 and made it his theme song for the rest of his career, performing it in personal appearances every year. The 1939 hit eventually earned Autry his second Gold record, a true testament to his success as America’s favorite cowboy.
Given Gene Autry’s ties to the Western style of entertainment, “Back in the Saddle Again” is a direct reflection of the Western genre of movies that were popular throughout the twentieth century. Western movies were typically set between 1850 to the end of the nineteenth century in the mountains and the plains of the western United States, past the Mississippi River, specifically the Great Plains and the South West, two areas the white man didn’t explore until after the American Civil war, which took place from 1861 to 1865. Western movies typically relied on the conflict between “cowboys and Indians.” With accurate historical context to support the fabricated storylines of these movies, this conflict would have actually been between the Plains Indians and the white settlers who felt entitled to land that wasn’t theirs.
Another popular theme of the Western genre was cowboys who drove cattle across the Western pastures to the railroads that powered America’s industries. Cowboys often resided in small communities on the way to their final destinations, and eventually, the law found its way into these residencies. Western movies were thrilling because they depicted extreme adventure based on the appeal of “gunslinging desperadoes” and county sheriffs settling conflict through exciting violence, displaying heroic courage with added drama for an amusing story, a narrative that captivated much of America for about thirty years.
It’s important to first understand the cultural significance of Westerns before attempting to understand how “Back in the Saddle” contributed anything to Texas music. Western movies were highly dramatized versions of actual, impactful United States historical events, created purely for entertainment value. Autry is a Texas native with a voice that fits the lyrical story quite well, and the song transports listeners to an encouraging, golden “vision of the west.” Autry is a natural optimist and took a particular liking to the song because of its upbeat positivity. He especially liked the lyric, “Out where a friend is a friend,” because he valued the importance of friendship. Many of Autry’s costars say that he was easy to get along with and made friends very easily, perhaps why he felt “Back in the Saddle” resonated with him and his happy spirit.
At no point does “Back in the Saddle Again” specifically mention Texas, but it’s hard to argue that the true Texan twang and ideology doesn’t exist within this song. The “Out where a friend is a friend” lyric plays into the idea of Southern hospitality, friends in Texas will always have your back. Furthermore, the line “where the longhorn cattle feed” suggests a connection to Texas, based on the history of Tejanos and the longhorn cattle breed. Livestock that originated from Christopher Columbus’ time slowly migrated to Texas in a practice called “seed stock”. Tejanos on the earliest ranches, roughly 1741, were responsible for the careful development of the Longhorn breed. Without Tejano influence, there would have been no cowboy movies for Gene Autry to star in!
Because of the nature of the country-western influence, there are some controversial lyrics as well. Both of the lines “Totin’ my old .44” and “And the only law is right” suggest that the white man’s laws are always right and that the cowboys that Gene Autry sings of tote their .44s, referring to their guns, as a means of enforcing that white man’s law. This ties back to the song’s Western roots and enforces the “cowboys and Indians” stereotype that exists within Texas history.
Lyrics:
I’m back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly jimsonweed
Back in the saddle again
Ridin’ the range once more
Totin’ my old .44
Where you sleep out every night
And the only law is right
Back in the saddle again
Whoopi-ty-aye-oh
Rockin’ to and fro
Back in the saddle again
Whoopi-ty-aye-yay
I go my way
Back in the saddle again
Works Cited
“Back In The Saddle Again.” Lyrics.com, www.lyrics.com/lyric/1018759/Gene+Autry/Back+in+the+Saddle+Again.
“‘Back in the Saddle’.” NPR.org, 24 July 2000, www.npr.org/2000/07/24/1079912/npr-100-gene-autry.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Western.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/art/western.
“Gene Autry Back In The Saddle Again.” YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSqcxFGFVas.
“GeneAutry.com: Gene Autry: Gene’s Biography.” GeneAutry.com » The Official Website of Gene Autry, America’s Favorite Singing Cowboy, www.geneautry.com/geneautry/geneautry_biography.html.
Hernandez, Erica. “Longhorns and Mustangs Aren’t Originally from Texas. Here’s How We Got Them.” KSAT, 25 Mar. 2021, www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/03/23/longhorns-and-mustangs-arent-originally-from-texas-heres-how-we-got-them/.
Lambert, Arden. “Let Us All Get “Back in the Saddle Again” with This Gene Autry Classic.” Country Thang Daily, 10 Oct. 2019, www.countrythangdaily.com/gene-autry-back-in-the-saddle-cowboy/.
“OKeh.” The 78 Rpm Club, 78rpm.club/record-labels/okeh/.
Turner, Stan, “Gene Autry Discography”, 1971.
