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COOL WATER
His brother, Earl, said that Bob Nolan had written Cool Water as a poem in the tenth grade in high school in Tucson. Although "cool water" was the title, he was writing about lack of water, a mirage and a hopeless thirst. The song is still being recorded today because of its universal appeal to the senses. The lyrics are timeless.
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THE SONS OF THE PIONEERS selections in the peach boxes above.
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When Cool Water was first published back in the 1930’s, the publisher had taken it upon himself to change a lyric line. This infuriated Bob at the time! He’d originally written it as a poem and had set it to music years later. Bob said, “You know, I made the publisher pull all the remaining copies off the market until he fixed the problem”. He explained, “The lyrics go:
Dan, can you see That big green tree Where the water’s running free And it’s waiting there for me And you.”
Bob continued, “And you is just a little addition. It’s not supposed to rhyme with anything. The publisher took it upon himself to change it from me and you to you and me and I was very upset about it. Unfortunately, before we could pull the sheet music off the market, a lot of it had been sold and, as the years went by, people like Rex Allen and Marty Robbins and a few others recorded it with those lyrics reversed.” Then he smiled, “However, as the royalties came rolling in, I became more tolerant.” (Bob Nolan to Dick Goodman. Note: Rex Allen did not record the song commercially but he sang it often on his radio programs and in live performances.)
We are greatly indebted to OJ Sikes (New Jersey), Roberto Costa (Brazil), Anne & Peter Greb (Germany), Michelle Sundin (Texas), Bob Serkey (NJ), Larry Hopper (NJ), John Fullerton (MO), Dick Goodman (AZ), Dan Vena and countless fans for sending us so many examples of Cool Water. Thanks, too, to all the artists who generously allowed us to use their recordings. A special thanks to OJ and Roberto for spending all those hours cleaning old tracks for us!
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