Git Along Little Dogies

Let's clarify one thing right up front. A dogie is not a dog – at least not in this context. It is a motherless calf. And this song is all about herding some to Wyoming. It's fully titled, "Whoopee Ti Yi Yo, Git Along Little Dogies," and can be found in the 1922 book Cowboy Songs And Other Frontier Ballads by John A. Lomax. It's highly recognizable, and a piece that should be a part of every musician's vernacular if not repertoire.

The song has a 3/4 time signature and feels like a waltz. It also has a swing feel but we notate the dotted eighth/sixteenth to achieve it rather than a double eighth with a swing indication. The accompaniment has an obvious Western vibe with harmonica and mandolin rounding out the acoustic rhythm section.

This is an optional 2-part arrangement, part 2 being reserved for the choruses. The entire range is from C to C making both parts easily accessible to any choir. There is an extracted rehearsal track for part 2 on our web site, in case that's helpful to you.

If you listen closely to the studio singers, you'll hear them accenting almost every beat 1. You'll hear them singing very energetically and stylized. You'll hear them singing the sixteenth notes very short, almost a throw away. And you'll hear them having a lot of fun doing all this. Mirror this style and your kids will have a successful performance.

It would be totally appropriate to discuss what life might have been like in those days. Especially compared to the conveniences we enjoy today. Life was tough and the lyric content speaks of real life on the range.