Oklahoma Hills
song written by Woody Guthrie and Jack Guthrie; performed by Hank Thompson and others
"Oklahoma Hills" is a song written by Woody Guthrie. In 2001 it was named the official Folk Song of the state of Oklahoma.
Chorus
Way down yonder in the Indian nation
I rode my pony on the reservation
In the Oklahoma Hills where I was born
Way down yonder in the Indian nation
A cowboy’s life is my occupation
In the Oklahoma Hills where I was born
Jack Guthrie Recording
Jack Guthrie, Woody's cousin, changed the lyrics and music slightly and in 1945 recorded a Western swing version, which reached Number 1 on the Juke Box Folk Records charts. It remains the best-known version of "Oklahoma Hills", and was the biggest hit of Jack Guthrie's fairly short life. Though Woody originated the song, the official Woody Guthrie website credits both him and Jack as its writers, perhaps because Jack's changes have become so well known.
Recordings
Recordings of "Oklahoma Hills" have been made by these singers, among others:
Chet Atkins
Floyd Cramer
Gene Autry
Johnny Bond
Charlie Feathers
Arlo Guthrie, Woody's son, recorded the song for his album Running Down the Road, released in 1969 by Warner Bros. Records.
Jimmy Lafave
Mary McCaslin
Carl Smith
Bruce Springsteen
James Talley
Country singer Hank Thompson, joined by His Brazos Valley Boys, recorded a well-known version of "Oklahoma Hills" in 1961. Thompson's Western swing rendition reached No. 7 on the Billboard magazine Hot C&W Singles chart.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Oklahoma Hills” is song written by Woody Guthrie and Jack Guthrie; performed by Hank Thompson and others. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Oklahoma, Hills and song, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “song written by Woody Guthrie and Jack Guthrie; performed by Hank Thompson and others” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7082244. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2001, 1945, 1969 and 1961.
Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Oklahoma Hills”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Oklahoma Hills primary sources, Oklahoma Hills archive and Oklahoma research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Oklahoma Hills”?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Oklahoma Hills” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.