Bob Nolan was only 16 and a Tucson (AZ) High student in 1924 when he wrote a poem, “Cool Water.” He later fashioned the words into a western song.
“Cool Water” tells of a weary prospector, delirious from thirst, who presses onward with his burro, Dan. When the man thinks he sees a distant water hole, reality unveils a harsh truth—it’s a shimmering desert mirage. To Nolan, only the devil himself could have created such a cruel hoax. Eventually, the prospector yearns for the comfort of death, “where there’s no quest for water, cool, clear water.”
The young songwriter became a singing guitar player and, in 1934, hooked up with fellow musicians Leonard Slye, Tim Spencer and Hugh Farr to form the Sons of the Pioneers. That year they recorded…
