“The Song of Joaquin (Wakken)”

Description

"I suppose you have heard of all the talking Of that noted horse thief, Joaquin; He was caught in Calaveras, And he couldn't stand the joke; So the rangers cut his head off." His robberies and 24 murders are listed; the capture of his gang is described

Supplemental text

Song of Joaquin (Wakken), The
  Partial text(s)

          *** A ***

Wakken

From Emelyn Elizabeth Gardner and Geraldine Jencks Chickering,
Ballads and Songs of Southern Michigan, p. 332. "Communicated in
1916 by Miss Mildred Pall... from her grandfather."

I suppose you have heard of all the talking
Of that noted horse thief, Wakken;
He was caught in Calaveras,
And he couldn't stand the joke;
So the rangers cut his head off;
They've got it now in soak.

(1 additional stanza plus chorus)

Notes

The text in Gardner and Chickering, collected in Michigan but said to originate in California, was badly corrupt (as its title shows), and it is not possible to identify the villain. But it has enough in common with Burt's text that I'm fairly sure they're the same song.

The real question is, is this Joaquin in fact Joaquin Murieta (c. 1832-1853)? The song never uses his surname, but the details fit very well: Murieta, who came to California around 1849, was the victim of anti-Mexican prejudice, and swore vengeance -- which he carried out with brutal effect.

In 1853, California finally authorized a special company to catch him. They found him and his band in July, and Murieta was killed in the shoot-out. As the song tells, his head was cut off and preserved in alcohol so it could be shown off around the state. - RBW

References

1. Burt, pp. 195-196, "(The Song of Joaquin)" (1 text)
2. Gardner/Chickering 135, "Wakken" (1 short text)
3. ST GC135 (Partial)
4. Roud #3671
5. BI, GC135