Many recall lyrics to song about North Dakota

As Neighbors told you in February, it received many replies to the inquiry from Teresa Buntrock, Casselton, N.D., over the old song she knew about North Dakota. That song as she remembered it began:

You ought to go ta

North Dakota.

See the cattle and the wheat,

And the folks that can't be beat.

You ought to go ta

North Dakota.

It's the best (?????)

Then Teresa wrote, the song went:

The sky is bluer than blue

The sun is sunnier, too.

So if you don't believe it

There's only one thing to do.

Then it goes back to the refrain.

Well, Teresa couldn't remember the words to replace the ????? and asked Neighbors to ask you folks about it.

Boom. More than 40 of you wrote in. So today and beyond, here is what you neighbors had to say about this, along with information about yourselves.

You'll note, by the way, you don't all agree on the lyrics.

Michele Doty writes, "After reading your column, I keep singing 'You ought to go ta North Dakota.'

"In response to Teresa's question, we would end the song "And you just can't say goodbye." Whether or not this is correct, I don't know."

Michele says she grew up in Fargo, graduated from Shanley High School, worked for the Fargo Clinic and was there when it became Meritcare.

"I now live on Buffalo Lake just outside of Richwood, Minn.," she says. "It's lovely, but I do miss Fargo. Many happy memories!" From Clint Lonbaken, Fargo: "If my memory serves me, the line in question goes 'Cause you just can't say goodbye.'

"We used to break out this tune regularly during Bobcat Company events we hosted throughout North Dakota," Clint writes..

"I worked for Bobcat for 40 years, starting in Gwinner (N.D.) when the Melroe brothers were still in the company. I worked for Ferd Froeschle and took over as advertising manager in Fargo when Ferd retired."

A woman from Harwood, N.D., who says she is a "faithful reader" of this column but who wishes to remain anonymous, says the song begins this way:

You out to go ta

North Dakota.

See the cattle and the wheat

And the folks that can't be beat.

You say hello ta

North Dakota

And you just can't say goodbye.

From Valerie (Selensky) Harmon, formerly of Rugby, N.D., and now of Fargo: "That line we used to sing was 'And you just can't say goodbye.'

"Other than that," Valerie writes, "the version that she (Teresa) used to sing is the exact version that we used to sing as kids at the top of our lungs, riding in the car, walking down the street or walking in the fields at my cousins' farm. Boy, does that song bring back memories!"

Tami Kurtyka writes, "I found the lyrics for the song Teresa was looking for. It took some searching but found them in an article in the Williston (N.D.) Herald."

The line Tami found was the same as those listed above: "And you just can't say goodbye."

The email says Tami lives "in the beautiful city of Fargo."

Dan Christianson writes that the line is "You say hello to North Dakota, and you just can't say goodbye.".

But Dan adds, "I actually say, 'You yust can't say goodbye,'" then reports that he lives in "Hillsboro, N.D., don't ya know!"

Charlie Chinquist writes, "We used to sing that song at UND (the University of North Dakota) back in the '60s. Our version had the line 'And you just can't say goodbye,' not 'It's the best,' though I suppose there were different versions."

And where is Charlie from?

"I tell people I'm from all over," he says. "I was born in Grand Forks in 1946. My dad was a district roadmaster with the Great Northern (and later the Burlington Northern).

"As he didn't have much seniority, we moved quite a bit. After Grand Forks, we went to Willmar, Minn., Sioux Falls, S.D., Marshall, Minn, and Superior, Wis., where I started kindergarten.

"After five years in Superior, we moved to Watertown, S.D. After five years there, we moved to Devils Lake, N.D., the summer before my sophomore year of high school. When anyone asks me about my home town, I tell them Devils Lake.

"My parents ended up staying in Devils Lake for over 30 years before moving to Fargo in 1993 because of some medical issues.

"After UND, I worked at Rugby for a little over two years before coming to Fargo in 1975. So, as you can see, telling anyone where I came from can get to be quite an involved explanation."

Sara Thronsedt, Fergus Falls, Minn., writes, "As a former North Dakotan, this is how I learned the refrain," and she includes the "But you just can't say goodbye" line."

But of course, Sara says, "if you are Swedish, you say 'yust' instead of 'just!'"

Sara was born and raised in Grafton, N.D.

Ellen (Larvick) Dunlop writes that although she is a native Minnesotan, "my grandparents lived at Hazelton (N.D.) and had a phonograph of which I was enamored, and they had that North Dakota record.

"I know the words (to the song) and even sang the whole song recently in the Denver airport with another gal who grew up in North Dakota and met me deplaning."

The lyrics Ellen sent are slightly different from those above:

You oughta go ta North Dakota

See the cattle and the wheat and the

Folks that can't be beat.

You say 'hello' to North Dakota

And you just can't say goodbye.

The sky is bluer than blue

The sun is sunnier too

And if you don't believe it then

There's only one thing to do; You say 'hello' ta North Dakota

And you just won't say goodbye.

That song, Ellen says, "must have subtly worked for me. While attending North Dakota Agricultural College, I met a boy who brought me to the Turtle Mountains for the past 50 years." (Keep reading to learn more about that "boy").

"My maternal grandparents were Floyd and Marian Bier, who farmed at Hazelton, and who owned the phonograph (mentioned above). Their son Howard, my uncle, served in the North Dakota House of Representatives.

"My paternal grandparents were Oscar and Addie Larvick, of Temvik (no longer a town; it was named for the Templetons and Larvicks who were teachers there). They later lived in Valley City, N.D., where they owned a Standard gas station and cabins/motel. Their son Al was a noted basketball coach in Valley City.

"My husband of 50 years, David Dunlop, farmed east of Rolla, N.D., for 32 years while I worked for the NDSU Extension Service," Ellen writes. "In 2000 I retired and we built a home on Lake Upsilon. A few years later Dave went to work as agricultural officer at the U.S. Customs Dunseith Peace Garden port, where he continues to welcome travelers to the U.S.

"We enjoyed our friendship with Roger and Ingrid Bailey when they owned the Turtle Mountain Star in Rolla. As Rolette County Extension home economist, I wrote a weekly column for the Star."

Well, there's a sampling of what Teresa's question about the North Dakota song stirred up. There will be a lot more in the next Neighbors.

If you have an item of interest for this column, mail it to Neighbors, The Forum, Box 2020, Fargo, ND 58107, fax it to 241-5487 or email blind@forumcomm.com .