Talk:Buffalo Gals

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Issues and issues[edit]

As Malcolm McClaren's 'Buffalo Gals' is stated to be a different song, (although I think it uses the rhythm of the refrain), then it should be listed separately.

Also I always understood 'Buffalo Gals' to be a traditional song, so it's not clear how John Hodges could have 'written' it. It would be better to say that he first published the song. Centrepull (talk) 11:59, 10 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

My western lit teacher said before it was published this was a traditional cowboy song, and the "buffalo gals" were Native American prostitutes that would come out at night, "dance by the light of the moon" and then service the cowboys. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.19.40.59 (talk) 15:24, 10 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Posting this only as editor "table talk" for fun. Given the above post isn't an utter joke, which it could easily be, I'm thinking the above "western lit teacher" was spreading a mistaken folk etymology.

At the times I first heard this song as a child and paid any heed to the lyrics, they never seemed to quite come together for me, which in itself seemed kind of odd. My best guesses tended to be that a cowboy was singing to a girl who liked or maybe even wrangled buffalo (American bison). As a grown-up I got no further with it, which bugged me a wee bit when hearing the song but then, I never did put anything more than a fleeting thought into it.

The other day I heard Buffalo Gal again and I recall thinking, "I must look into this," then forgot about it. Yesterday I found myself looking at a map of Michigan, spotted the city of Kalamazoo and the 1942 big band song "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo" popped into my head.

Gal. Kalamazoo. ... Gal. Buffalo.

Ding! Girl from Buffalo NY. Gotta be. Had time to check into it this morning. Guess this western song had always brought to my mind's eye a cowboy, a cowgirl and maybe a buffalo somewhere on the western great plains. None of those (to speak of) in New York state. So maybe that early childhood notion of cowboy and cowgirl had gotten thoroughly stuck to a song with a melody I never much cared for nor thought much about and hence, headed off any link to Buffalo NY. See also Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

At long last the song falls neatly together for yours truly. Feel much better. Took awhile. Gwen Gale (talk) 12:47, 12 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Find Buffalo Gals at Buffalo Dances[edit]

Every aspiring frontiersman, of European descent, from the 1500's to the early 1800's in the middle of the North American continent hoped to be invited to a Buffalo Dance in the dead of winter. Please refer to the Lewis and Clark Journal entries in January 1805. Especially the Biddle version. Yes, it was a licentious ceremony, and yes, the traditional folk song came out of it. Fond memories bring on that sort of thing over time. The aforementioned "Lit" professor wasn't too far off with the idea that native American prostitutes "serviced" cowboys, except there weren't cowboys that far back (no cows, lots of Bison), and there weren't Cowboy Stops that the prostitutes could know to go work at. English slang provided "buffalo" out of the Bison, through the help of native words for the animals that kind of sounded like that. I'm kind of old, and when I was young I heard the Old Timers talk about this. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Larry the goat (talk • contribs) 03:05, 28 October 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Wiki Education assignment: Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music History I[edit]

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 22 August 2022 and 2 December 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Guitarcowboy14 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Bidgoodl (talk) 17:21, 7 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]