The Boss is Hangin’ out a Rainbow
(Bob Nolan)
Heigh-ho!
Why should I be grievin’?
Stormy clouds are leavin’.
The boss is hangin’ out a rainbow.
Heigh-ho!
Now the grass is greener,
Air is cool and cleaner,
The boss is hangin’ out a rainbow.
I saw him throw his lariat,
A braided lightnin’ strand.
I saw him catch those angry clouds
And burn ‘em with his brand.
Heigh-ho!
Now the sun is blazin’,
Hungry cattle grazin’,
The boss is hangin’ out a rainbow.
NOTE: The lyrics were copied from "Bob Nolan's Folio of Original Cowboy Classics No. 2" and the following verse can be found on the Orthacoustic Transcriptions:
Many days I’ve rode the rolling ranges,
Feeling every heartbeat of the West.
Sun and wind and rain and many changes
But that’s because the boss knows what is best.
Bob Nolan reportedly wrote "The Boss is Hangin' Out a Rainbow" for the Columbia Picture "Texas Stampede" when the sole songwriting chores fell on his shoulders. However, we have been unable to obtain a print of the film to verify this. In 1940 the Sons of the Pioneers recorded this song for the Orthacoustic radio transcriptions. This latter recording is the one you hear as you read this. It wasn't until 1966, when Bob was long gone from the Sons of the Pioneers, that the group recorded it commercially for RCA Victor.
The sheet music was included in Bob Nolan’s Folio of Original Cowboy Classics No, 2, Copyright 1940 by AMERICAN MUSIC, INC. Photocopies of the sheet music are available from Bob Nolan's grandson. Email Calin Coburn for details.
