"The Cry of the Wild Goose" is a 1950 song written by Terry Gilkyson. Originally performed by Frankie Laine, the song was the third of three consecutive number-one hits for him, following the previous year's hits "That Lucky Old Sun" and "Mule Train". The song was released on 78 rpm in early 1950 by Mercury Records with a catalog number of 5363.
The song was later covered by Tennessee Ernie Ford. It was the uncredited theme song for the 1950 motion picture release Saddle Tramp.
In a 1986 episode of Life With Lucy, Lucille Ball’s character talks about having an answering machine answer her call. She states that before she could leave a message, she had to listen to Frankie Laine sing "I must go where the wild goose goes", in reference to the lyrics to the song.