<P> As I walked out in the streets of Laredo As I walked out in Laredo one day, I spied a poor cowboy, all wrapped in white linen All wrapped in white linen and cold as the clay . "I see by your outfit, that you are a cowboy ." These words he did say as I slowly passed by . "Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story, For I'm shot in the chest, and today I must die ." "' Twas once in the saddle I used to go dashing,' Twas once in the saddle I used to go gay . First down to Rosie's, and then to the card - house, Got shot in the chest, and I'm dying today ." "Oh, beat the drum slowly and play the fife lowly, And play the dead march as you carry me along; Take me to the green valley, there lay the sod o'er me, For I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong ." </P> <P> "Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin, Get six pretty maidens to bear up my pall . Put bunches of roses all over my coffin, Roses to deaden the clods as they fall ." "Then swing your rope slowly and rattle your spurs lowly, And give a wild whoop as you carry me along; And in the grave throw me and roll the sod o'er me . For I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong ." "Go bring me a cup, a cup of cold water . To cool my parched lips ", the cowboy then said . Before I returned, his spirit had departed, And gone to the round up--the cowboy was dead . We beat the drum slowly and played the fife lowly, And bitterly wept as we bore him along . For we loved our comrade, so brave, young and handsome, We all loved our comrade, although he'd done wrong . </P> <P> The song is widely considered to be a traditional ballad . It was first published in 1910 in John Lomax's Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads . </P> <P> The lyrics appear to be primarily descended from an Irish folk song of the late 18th century called "The Unfortunate Rake", which also evolved (with a time signature change and completely different melody) into the New Orleans standard "St. James Infirmary Blues". The Irish ballad shares a melody with the British sea - song "Spanish Ladies". The Bodleian Library, Oxford, has copies of a 19th - century broadside entitled "The Unfortunate Lad", which is a version of the British ballad . Some elements of this song closely presage those in the "Streets of Laredo" and in the "St. James Infirmary Blues". </P>

When was the song streets of laredo written