"The Cowboys' Christmas Ball" is a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

song recorded by Las Vegas

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band,

The Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After the band went through a number of short-term bas ...

. The lyrics of the song were taken from the 1890s poem of the same name by William Lawrence Chittenden. John Lomax included the lyrics to this song in his book "Cowboy Songs" (copyright 1910) with these notes: "This poem was one of the Larry Chittenden's Ranch Verses, published by GP Putnam's Sons, New York, has been set to music by cowboys and its phraseology slightly changed, as this copy will show, by oral transmission. I have heard it in New Mexico and it has been sent to me from various places, — always as a song. None of those who sent in the song knew that it was already in print." The Killers version has slight lyrical changes. For instance, the first line was changed from "''Way out in Western Texas, where the Clear Fork's waters flow''" to "''Way out in Old Nevada, where the Truckees' waters flow''". The song was released as a digital download on November 30, 2011, the video was released a day later. All proceeds from the song go to

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

charities as a part of the Product Red campaign, headed by

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...

and

Bobby Shriver Robert Sargent Shriver III (born April 28, 1954) is an American activist, attorney, and journalist. He was a member of the Santa Monica City Council from 2004 to 2012, serving as mayor pro tem in 2006 and as mayor during part of 2010. A member o ...

. It is the band's sixth annual Christmas song and was released as the lead single off their compilation EP, '' (RED) Christmas EP''. The song was also recorded by

Michael Martin Murphey Michael Martin Murphey (born March 14, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter. He was one of the founding artists of progressive country. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including ''Cowboy Songs (Michael Martin Murphey alb ...

on his CD "Cowboy Christmas" (Cowboy Songs II).

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowboys' Christmas Ball, The Island Records singles The Killers songs 2011 singles Christmas charity singles Songs written by Michael Martin Murphey American Christmas songs Songs based on poems Songs about cowboys and cowgirls