A TRUE COWBOY...

Well I ain't nothing much,

Just an old rodeo cowboy with a cruch.

That last ride kinda did me in,

That old bull took me to places I'd never been.

When I couldn't turn lose,

I knew I was a gone goose.

That bull jerked me here and there,

It finally got to where I didn't care.

When I woke up, there was Bill and Jake,

My two best friends for goodness sake.

They told me that what happened was a sight,

But the doc said I'd be alright.

I told 'em that I was gonna change my stile,

That I wasn't gonna rodeo for a while.

That it was time for me to settle down.

Go back home, and help Papa ranch just outside of town.

They looked at each other with a grin,

And said, "u'll always go back to where you'vie been".

I got to thinking about what Papa said when I left home.

?Your like I was at your age, go ahead and roam".

When you get it out of you system come on back,

By then I'll really need you and your tack.

Ranch life ain't the easiest life around

You can work yourself in the ground.

Well home I went... Rode in after sundown.

Papa was at the barn, or somewhere around.

I knew Mama would be getting supper ready for Papa.

She looked up at me, and couldn't believe what she saw.

After the hugs, she said, ?You look sick are you alright"?

I told her I was, and that she sure was a pretty sight.

Papa came in, and I couldn't believe my eyes...goodness sake,

He was slim, bent, and had an awful limp, then I notice the shake.

After supper, I went to the gallery to smoke,

And begin to wonder if I did the right thing by coming home broke.

Next day I told Papa I was glad to be back,

That since it was caving time, maybe I could take up some slack.

Later on, I told Papa I was broke, didn't have a copper to my name.

"I know', he said, "cause I ended up the same".

He told me he was glad to have me around.

Then he went on to tell me that his health wasn't to sound.

The years went by fast.

First, it was Papa, and then Mama passed

Now I know I did the right thing by not being a rodeo bum.

Like Jake said, "our kind usually go back to where we came from".

© J. M. HILL, U. S. A.