"My Pony Boy" is a popular song written in 1909 by Bobby Heath (lyrics) and

Charley O'Donnell Charley may refer to: Places *Charley, Leicestershire, a parish in England *Charley's Flat, alternate name for Dutch Flat, California *Charley's Motel, former name of Star Lite Motel, Minnesota, United States *Charley Ridge, West Virginia, United ...

. It was incorporated into the Broadway musical ''Miss Innocence'' (1909) where it was introduced by

Lillian Lorraine Lillian Lorraine (born Ealallean De Jacques; 1892/1894 – April 17, 1955) was an American stage and screen actress of the 1910s and 1920s, best known for her beauty and for being perhaps the most famous Ziegfeld Girl in the Broadway revues ...

Description

Along with songs like "

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...

", it became a cliché, as its tune was frequently used in

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

movies and cartoons. It works especially well when played on a "

honky tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ( tack piano) ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

. The first verse explains that the central character of the song has many female admirers; the second that the "Fluffy Ruffle girl" has won his heart. The chorus: :Pony Boy, Pony Boy :Won't you be my Tony boy :Don't say no :Here we go :Off across the plains :Marry me :Carry me :Right away with you :Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up, whoa! :My Pony Boy The old expression "giddy up", exhorting a horse to gallop at high speed, is a corruption of "get ye up". The term "tony" refers to someone of high "tone" or social elegance. In the 1931

Krazy Kat ''Krazy Kat'' (also known as ''Krazy & Ignatz'' in some reprints and compilations) is an US, American newspaper comic strip, by cartoonist George Herriman, which ran from 1913 to 1944. It first appeared in the ''New York Journal-American, New Yor ...

short ''

Rodeo Dough ''Rodeo Dough'' is a 1931 American short animated Western film by Columbia Pictures, and stars the comic strip character Krazy Kat. Plot Krazy Kat and his spaniel sweetheart are cowpokes. They are riding on a horse and kissing each other. O ...

'', a female spaniel sings the song after Krazy wins a rodeo event. In the 1950s, The song was used in a commercial selling a juice concentrate also called Pony Boy.

Recordings

Ada Jones Ada Jane Jones (June 1, 1873 – May 2, 1922) was an English-American popular singer who made her first recordings in 1893 on Edison cylinders. She is among the earliest female singers to be recorded. Biography She was born in Lancashire, UK, ...

recorded it for Victor Records # 16356 in August 1909.

Peerless Quartet The Peerless Quartet was an American vocal group that recorded in the early years of the twentieth century. They formed to record for Columbia Records, where they were credited as the Columbia Quartet or Columbia Male Quartet. From about 1907, wh ...

recorded for Columbia Records (catalog No. 713) in May 1909.

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

included the song in a medley on his album ''

On the Happy Side ''On the Happy Side'' was a long-playing vinyl album recorded by Bing Crosby for his own company, Project Records and issued by Warner Bros. Records (W1482) in 1962. The album is in a “sing along” style and Crosby over-dubbed his vocals on acco ...

'' (1962).

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

included a modified version as the last song on his 1992 album ''

Human Touch ''Human Touch'' is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. The album was released on March 31, 1992, the same day as ''Lucky Town''. It was the more popular of the two, peaking at number two on the US ''Billboard ...

''.

Bibliography

*Heath, Bobbie; O'Donnell, Charlie. "My Pony Boy" (sheet music). New York: Jerome H. Remick & Co. (1909).

References

External links

Complete lyrics, MIDI, history and versions

Original sheet music

Recording by Ada Jones and a quarter
1909 songs American popular music Children's songs Songs about cowboys and cowgirls Western music (North America) {{country-song-stub