FOLK COLLECTION 11: The Skaggs Foundation Cowboy Poetry Collection

Don Irving Porter material

FC 11 P-37

Don Irving Porter

Tombstone Gray

It was still dark on teh mesa the morning start was up, the cowboys hunkered 'round the fire nursing their coffee cups

Don Irving Porter material

FC 11 P-37

misc.

Newspaper clippings about Don Irving Porter and his uncle John Prather's rebellion

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

12

Ray Owens

Tracks That Won't Blow Out

I didn't know him all that long And maybe not that well 'Cause how good we really know someone Is sometimes hard to tell.

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

13

Ray Owens

An Ever Dwindlin' Breed

I wonder what he's thinkin'; what's runnin' thru his mind He's just sittin there a-starin'; though it's plain to all he's blind

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

16

Ray Owens

Color Blind

We were sittin', tlakin' horses; my old friend and I that day Enjoyin' one another's comp'ny an' just passin time away

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

20

Ray Owens

Are You a Cowboy, Mister?

Are you a cowboy, Mister? You're dressed like one, I see I'm not s'posed to talk to strangers. That's what Momma says to me

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

22

Ray Owens

A Man to Take the Tally

Grandpa, I've got a question; somethin' I'm not sure about, It's a sayin' I've heard folks use that I can't quite figure out.

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

25

Ray Owens

Men to Ride the River With

A man to ride the river with, he is a special kind And lookin' backward through my life, there's some that come to mind

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

27

Ray Owens

A Real Man

Men come in diff'rent sizes, diff'rent shapes and widths and lengths They all have diff'rent weaknesses, as well as diff'rent strengths

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

29

Ray Owens

Neighbor

There's more to bein' a neighbor than bein' "just htose folks over there" It takes a special person; one who's got a lotta care

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

31

Ray Owens

Drugstore Conversation

Hospital up in Amarillo is where I been beddin' down And man, I'm here to tell ya, I was proud to leave that town.

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

36

Ray Owens

Grandpa was a Cussin' Man

My Grandpa was a cussin' man, the best I ever heard I'd sit in pure amazement as I listened to each word

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

38

Ray Owens

Alibi Ike

There's no way to tell of the number of men I've met in my lifetime and won't see again But there's sure been some characters come down the pike

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

40

Ray Owens

Death Came Callin'

Now, death just ain't a pleasant thing to face or contemplate We think somehow we might be able to pass up that fateful date

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

42

Ray Owens

A Sound on the Wind

If you think you're a man who's got too big to cry Then you've still got some growin' to do If you'd hate for someone to spot a tear in your eye, Well, friend, I feel sorry for you.

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

44

Ray Owens

Pretty Yellow Flowers

Grandmom! Come, and lookie here! called the happy little girl Her eyes were brightly beaming, and her smile lit up the world.

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

46

Ray Owens

Reflections of a Granddad

While trav'lin' through this life I've seen a lot of wondrous things Grand Canyon and Niagara falls and wild geese on the wing

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

48

Ray Owens

The Special Magic Room

We've been remod'lin' on our house a full ten years or so And yet, it still ain't finished; there's lots of work to go To get it like we wanted, the way we dreamed about When we bought our little home place out here on the rural route.

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

50

Ray Owens

Holdin' Hands

I guess I maybe was fifteen; or sixteen, ,but no more When I discovered somethin' that I hadn't known before It was one of life's great pleasures

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

53

Ray Owens

Sparklin' Dark Brown Eyes

Now and then I'll get to thinkin' 'bout how good God's been to me He's done way more than keep the promises in Malachi, Chapter Three

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

54

Ray Owens

Shelby's Hill

There's a pile of dirt in our back yard that's been there sev'ral years At least a dozen, maybe more; and to some folks it appears To have no useful purpose

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

56

Ray Owens

The Old Cowboy and His Quilt

It's a quilt my Mama made for me, was what he'd always say When someone asked about it; then he'd quickly turn away. Hopin' that we hadn't noticed how his voice had husky grown,

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

58

Ray Owens

Daydreams

Like a soul that's caught between two worlds In diff'rent spans of time He's a misfit in his "Golden Years" While searchin' for the rhyme

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

60

Ray Owens

Recollections

A man may lose a sweetheart but her mem'ry stays behind Tucked away back in the corners and recesses of his mind The same is true of by-gone days

Cowboy Poetry: Tracks That Won't Blow Out

FC 11 O-10

61

Ray Owens

Coffee Break

Old men gathered at mid-morning In the twilight of their lives; Drinking coffee, reminiscing while a short ways off their wives Keep a watchful lookout on them Tryin' not to let it show That they know their days are numbered