Well a wandering cowboy ridin' down the trail Heard the night wind hummin' with a mournful vail He felt so lonesome when he heard its song He just started hummin' that's how the yodel was born He heard the love song of the whippoorwill And that far off fickle from a distant hill Then he remembered how he'd say goodbye To that girl that loved him and the way that she cried He would always love her but he just couldn't stay 'Cause that lonely night wind was calling him away He was born to wander out where he belongs Out on that lonesome prairie yodeling this cowboy song And that's how the yodel was born