This page was created by Macy Trosclair.
Don't Fence Me In
Artists: Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
Music by: Vic Schoen and Orchestra
Composed by: Cole Porter
Lyrics by: Robert Fletcher and Cole Porter
Recorded: July 25,1944
Released:1944
Genre: Classic Pop, Western
Lyrics:
Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above,
Don't fence me in.
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love,
Don't fence me in.
Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze,
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees,
Send me off forever but I ask you please,
Don't fence me in.
Just turn me loose, let me straddle my old saddle
Underneath the western skies.
On my Cayuse, let me wander over yonder
Till I see the mountains rise.
I want to ride to the ridge where the west commences
And gaze at the moon till I lose my senses
And I can't look at hobbles and I can't stand fences
Don't fence me in.
Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies,
Don't fence me in.
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love,
Don't fence me in.
Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees
Send me off forever but I ask you please,
Don't fence me in
Just turn me loose, let me straddle my old saddle
Underneath the western skies
On my Cayuse, let me wander over yonder
Till I see the mountains rise.
I want to ride to the ridge where the west commences
And gaze at the moon till I lose my senses
And can't look at hobbles and I can't stand fences
Don't fence me in.
No.
Poppa, don't you fence me in.
Connection to A Lesson Before Dying
I chose the song “Don’t Fence Me In” by Cole Porter because of its relation to the experiences of both Grant Wiggins and Jefferson in the novel A Lesson Before Dying. The overall theme of the song is the feeling of being trapped. From one perspective, the song can be interpreted as being literally fenced into an area, such as a jail or prison. The song references the sky and trees multiple times, as does Jefferson in his journal that writes while awaiting the death penalty. From another perspective, the “fencing in” can be symbolic; the speaker might feel trapped in a particular town, career, social, routine, etc. Grant Wiggins fits into this perspective as he longs to escape Bayonne and distance himself from the Plantation life. However, Grant expresses feeling trapped to Bayonne as he feels the black community—including Tante Lou, Miss Emma, Irene, and the rest of the schoolchildren—are dependent on his stay. Additionally, Grant feels trapped by his race. As a black man living in a racist society, Grant feels he has no control over his life. Instead of challenging the white supremacist system of Bayonne, Grant chooses to remain trapped in a state of mental slavery.
