FOLK COLLECTION 11: The Skaggs Foundation Cowboy Poetry Collection

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

100

George Rhoades

One-Night Rodeo

On a trail drive headed north, Jake rode into old Fort Worth, Lost his heart, don't you know, In a wild one-night rodeo.

rodeo, love, scorn

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

102

George Rhoades

Pioneer Cemetery

Tombstones leanin', weathered, Scattered down the hill Under the willows, cottonwoods, In summer heat and winter chill.

cemetery, tombstone, names

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

104

George Rhoades

Place Called "Home"

Why do I live way out here, You keep asking me: Why do I live where there's No mountain greenery, No seashore scenery

home, desert

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

105

George Rhoades

Points to Ponder

Alpaca questions: What do they call castrated alpacas?

alpaca

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

106

George Rhoades

Rain in August

Rain in August On brown, dry, thirsty Pastures and fields

august, rain, joy

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

108

George Rhoades

Rain

The rain falls pitter-patter On my roof, shrubs and yard; Raindrops drift down my windowpane - They don't go back up again.

rain, change

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

109

George Rhoades

Rememberin'

I remember Another December When winds blew cold, Skies were dismal gray, Trees had lost their leaves On that melancholy day.

memory, sale, ranch, winter

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

111

George Rhoades

Rich and Famous

The leader of the town, A man of wide renown, Rich and famous as can be, Was elected naturally 'Cause he had plenty Of fame and money.

fame, crime, fortune

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

112

George Rhoades

Robot Cowboys

"Robots are everywhere," Shorty says to Billy Bob, "They're takin' over, Doin' every kind of job.

robots, smart, dumb

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

114

George Rhoades

Rodeo Bum

I'm a rodeo bum, he said, There's always another town - It seems just like a curse, This driftin' up and down.

rodeo, wandering

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

115

George Rhoades

Rompin' Roy: Cowboy Elf

Rompin' Roy wore his boots, Janglin' spurs, wide-brimmed hat, And all the other elves Really didn't cotton to that.

elf, christmas, rope

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

118

George Rhoades

Root Cause Of Most Trouble

The old cowboy leaned on the bar, Pushed back his hat, sez to me: "Son, I've seen some bad things In my day, bad as they can be.

sin, restless

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

120

George Rhoades

Sale Barn Saga

Pickup trucks and cattle trailers, Goosenecks and bumper pull, Clustered 'round the sale barn, Parkin' lot almost full.

store, barn, livestock

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

122

George Rhoades

Shade of Their Skin

The trail boss was hirin' Cowhands seasoned and green To take a longhorn herd All the way to Abilene:

unity, equality, race

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

125

George Rhoades

Sharecropper Boy

When he was a sharecropper's boy, He first felt the bite of wanderlust, Down those long, long cotton rows Pullin' a cotton sack through the dust.

sharecropper, tough, dedication

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

127

George Rhoades

Skeeters

"The skeeters are bad right now," billy Bob says to his pal Shorty, "But they ain't as bad as they was Down on the Brazos recently.

mosquito, lies, storytelling

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

128

George Rhoades

Something About Time

I came to the deserted crossroads Where once stood the old country store, The two-room school, the little white church, All gone now through time's door.

time, change

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

129

George Rhoades

Somethin's Tryin' To Kill You

Billy Bob and Shorty Was workin' out on the Caprock, Livin' in a rundown line shack, Fixin' fence, herdin' Circle R stock.

attitude, threat

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

131

George Rhoades

Starin' at Purty Girls

The old man sat on the porch, A black patch coverin' one eye - His grandson, just turned six, Played on the swing nearby.

girls, love, attraction

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

133

George Rhoades

Summer Heat

Summer heat comes early To the southern plains, And stays and stays - Hot winds and no rains.

summer, heat, fall

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

134

George Rhoades

Superheroes

Superman leaps tall buildings, Spiderman spins and spins, Batman in his batmobile, And Captain Marvel always wins.

superhero, comic, radio, cowhand

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

135

George Rhoades

Sweetest Sounds

I like to hear the sound, he said, Of a rooster at daybreak, A distant owl faintly hootin' When you're just comin' awake

sound, farm, song

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

136

George Rhoades

Texas and the Big Bang

The old West Texas cowboy, In town for the rodeo, Wandered into the lecture hall And sat on the very first row.

texas, science, humor

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

138

George Rhoades

Things Gone or Goin' Away

Drive-in movies, buggy whips ain't been in style for a while

antiques, change

Musings from Cowboy Country

FOLK COLL 11 R-46

139

George Rhoades

Those Were the Days, The Good Old Days

Sloppin' the pigs, watchin' 'em wallow in the mud and muck;

farm, firewood