“Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” performed by the Sons of the Pioneers
The Sons of the Pioneers perform Bob Nolan's "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" at the McPherson Opera House in McPherson, Kansas.
Tumbling Tumbleweeds, one of the best-known songs in Western music, was written by Bob Nolan as a poem in 1929, and he set it to music in 1932. By 1933 the Pioneer Trio, later to become known as the Sons of the Pioneers, adopted it as their theme song. The original lyrics were "drifting along with the tumbling leaves," but fans misunderstood the words and the radio station received so many letters requesting "that tumbleweeds song" or "tumbling tumbleweeds" that Bob ended up changing the lyrics (and the title) of the song.