Quote Originally Posted by gilmore View Post
Actually, Americans didn't steal "The Streets of Laredo." We inherited it. It comes from a British folk song called, I believe, "The Rake's Death" or "The Rake Dying Young." Another of its musical descendants was "St James Infirmary." Folkways Records put out an album of versions of the original song and its progeny some years ago.

There are many other such examples. All one has to do is take a look at the discography of Jean Ritchie and other Appalachian singers to see songs that originated in Scotland (as well as England and Wales) that were part of Southern culture until recent years, long after many of them had been forgotten in the British Isles.
Also look at Vance Randolph's collection of Ozark folksongs, and the ballad collection of Francis James Child.

Streets of Laredo is based upon The Unfortunate Rake, and it also has a connection to The Bard of Armagh. One good group to check out in terms of the relationship between Scottish & Irish music with traditional Cowboy music is:

http://www.cowboyceltic.com

They have recorded the only known cowboy song written in Gaelic, Farewell to Coigach, written by Murdo George MacLean in Montana, ca. 1910.

One more: a variation of "God Damn Them All!" Talking about going after Yankee shipping and getting his legs blown off.
That would be Barrett's Privateers by the late great Canadian folk singer Stan Rogers:

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~jacktar/barretts.html

Regards,

Todd