“The Buffalo Skinners”

Description

A promoter named (Crego) hires a group of men to skin buffalo. He consistently cheats and mistreats them. Eventually they kill him

Cross references

• cf. "Boggy Creek" [Laws B10b]
• cf. "The Trail to Mexico [Laws B13]" (a few overlapping lyrics)
• cf. "Canaday-I-O, Michigan-I-O, Colley's Run I-O" [Laws C17]
• cf. "Shanty Teamster's Marseillaise" (plot)
• cf. "Way Out in Idaho (I)" (lyrics, plot)

Recordings

• Bill Bender, The Happy Cowboy, "Buffalo Skinners" (Varsity 5144, c. 1940)
• Woody Guthrie, "Buffalo Skinners" (on Struggle1, Struggle2, CowFolkCD1)
• John A. Lomax, "Buffalo Skinners" (AFS, 1940s; on LC28)
• Pete Seeger, "Buffalo Skinners" (on PeteSeeger13, AmHist1)

References

1. Laws B10a, "The Buffalo Skinners"
2. Leach, pp. 773-775, "Canaday I. O. (The Buffalo Skinners)" (2 texts, but only the first goes with this piece; the other belongs with "Canaday I-O" [Laws C17])
3. Friedman, p. 429, "The Buffalo Skinners" (1 text)
4. PBB 110, "The Buffalo Skinners" (1 text)
5. Sandburg, pp. 270-272, "The Buffalo Skinners" (1 text, 1 tune)
6. Thorp/Fife XV, pp. 195-218 (31-33), "Buffalo Range" (6 texts, 2 tunes, though the "B" text is "Boggy Creek," C and D appear unrelated, and E is "Canada-I-O")
7. Larkin, pp. 91-94, "The Buffalo Skinners" (1 text, 1 tune)
8. Lomax-FSUSA 52, "The Buffalo Skinners" (1 text, 1 tune)
9. Lomax-ABFS, pp. 390-392, "The Buffalo Skinners" (1 text, 1 tune)
10. Botkin-AmFolklr, pp. 854-855, "The Buffalo Skinners" (1 text, 1 tune)
11. LPound-ABS, 84, pp. 181-183, "The Buffalo Skinners" (1 text)
12. Darling-NAS, pp. 169-170, "The Buffalo Skinners" (1 text)
13. PSeeger-AFB, p. 63, "Buffalo Skinners" (1 text, 1 tune)
14. Silber-FSWB, p. 110, "Buffalo Skinners" (1 text)
15. DT 377, BUFFSKIN* BUFFSKI2
16. Roud #634
17. BI, LB10A