From the Land of the Sky-Blue Water
Encyclopedia
"From the Land of the Sky-Blue Water" is a popular song published in 1909. Charles Wakefield Cadman
composed the music based on an Omaha
love song collected by Alice C. Fletcher. "Sky-blue water" is a translation of the name "Minnesota" from Dakota
into English. Nelle Richmond Eberhart wrote the poem that goes with the music:
A pretty, lyrical and jazzy version is performed by Harpo Marx
in the 1940 film Go West, featuring his harp accompanied by a flute-playing Indian chief. Hamm's Beer
also used the music for its advertising jingle.
A snatch is sung by Blanche DuBois
in A Streetcar Named Desire
by Tennessee Williams in Scene Two while she is in the bathroom.
Charles Wakefield Cadman
Charles Wakefield Cadman was an American composer.Cadman’s musical education, unlike that of most of his American contemporaries, was completely American. Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, he began piano lessons at 13...
composed the music based on an Omaha
Omaha (tribe)
The Omaha are a federally recognized Native American nation which lives on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa, United States...
love song collected by Alice C. Fletcher. "Sky-blue water" is a translation of the name "Minnesota" from Dakota
Dakota language
Dakota is a Siouan language spoken by the Dakota people of the Sioux tribes. Dakota is closely related to and mutually intelligible with the Lakota language.-Dialects:...
into English. Nelle Richmond Eberhart wrote the poem that goes with the music:
- From the Land of Sky-blue Water,
- They brought a captive maid,
- And her eyes they are lit with lightnings,
- Her heart is not afraid!
- But I steal to her lodge at dawning,
- I woo her with my flute;
- She is sick for the Sky-blue Water,
- The captive maid is mute.
A pretty, lyrical and jazzy version is performed by Harpo Marx
Harpo Marx
Adolph "Harpo" Marx was an American comedian and film star. He was the second oldest of the Marx Brothers. His comic style was influenced by clown and pantomime traditions. He wore a curly reddish wig, and never spoke during performances...
in the 1940 film Go West, featuring his harp accompanied by a flute-playing Indian chief. Hamm's Beer
Hamm's Brewery
Hamm's is the name of a former American brewery in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Hamm's breweries were also found in other cities, such as San Francisco.-History:...
also used the music for its advertising jingle.
A snatch is sung by Blanche DuBois
Blanche DuBois
Blanche DuBois is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams' 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Streetcar Named Desire...
in A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire (play)
A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The play opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, and closed on December 17, 1949, in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The Broadway production was...
by Tennessee Williams in Scene Two while she is in the bathroom.
External Links
- Sheet Music for Four American Indian Songs Op. 45 No. 1; words by Nelle Richmond Eberhart; White-Smith Music Publishing Co., 1909, includes music for "From the Land of the Sky-Blue Water"