FOLK COLLECTION 11: The Skaggs Foundation Cowboy Poetry Collection

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

32

Baxter Black

Keep On Truckin'

Horses were meant to be ridden Chickens were meant to be fried Fish were meant to be cat food Pigs were meant to be styed Sheep were meant to be sweaters Eagles were meant to be bald But never, and I mean never, my friend, Were cattle meant to be hauled!

haul, truck, cattle, difficulty

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

34

Baxter Black

Tinker and Lady

A stranger hangin' around cow workin's, sale barns or gatherin's might get the impression that little love exists between the cowboy and his dog. Only that the dog suffers from verbal abuse or that the cowboy is entitled to sue for mental exasperation. Neither is prone to open displays of affection. The cowboy acts tough and the dog acts bored.

dog, lost, love, chili

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

36

Baxter Black

Eat More Beef!

I'm a fairly frequent victim of the EAT MORE BEEF! campaign. I've read the ads and seen the spots intended to explain That if I will eat real beef, I will be real people And have more iron inside me that a rusty army Jeep'll!

revenge, beef, bull

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

38

Baxter Black

Farmer or Rancher

There is a distinction in the livestock business between ranchers and farmers. But how does a city slicker tell the difference? I have some guidelines that should be helpful.

rancher, farmer, difference

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

40

Baxter Black

In Defense of the Chicken

Everyone says they love chicken, Ambrosia sent from above. But nobody loves a chicken, A chicken ain't easy to love.

chicken, crazy, food

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

42

Baxter Black

The Consultant

Bein' in between jobs ain't no picnic. In fact, it's downright insultant. So I printed some cards, put signs in the yard, And bingo, became a consultant!

advice, consultant, job

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

44

Baxter Black

The First County Agent

Clarence of Euphrates was just a simple man He graduated ag school from Tigress A&M

fair, history, county agent

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

46

Baxter Black

Could be Worse

The banker took his ledger out, The rancher took a seat. "Let's see, I lent you twenty thou For cattle, corn and wheat.

banker, debt, loss

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

48

Baxter Black

Piled Higher and Deeper

Ol' Bubber was cussin' his bad luck As we watched his buch crossin' the scale Which surprised me a bit, 'cause he had to admit His steers were the best at the sale!

steers, weight, science

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

50

Baxter Black

The Vet'inary's Laundry

There is nothing more disgusting, More deserving to condemn Than a basket full of laundry From the local D.V.M!

veterinarian, laundry, smell

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

52

Baxter Black

Poo Bah

I BELIEVE HE SAW ME COMIN' HORSE TRADERS USUALLY DO "I've got this chestnut gelding, Might be just the horse for you.

horse trader, lies, breed

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

54

Baxter Black

Freckle's Advice

Though Freckles is an angel now, he ain't forgot his friends. He drops to earth and hangs around behind the buckin' pens. He pulls a rope or just makes sure a rider gets bucked free So I took it as an honor, the day he spoke to me...

angel, cow, help

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

56

Baxter Black

Runnin' Wild Horses

The chase, the chase, the race is on The mustangs in the lead The cowboys hot behind the band Like centaurs, blurred with speed

mustang, wild, horse

Croutons on a Cow Pie

FOLK COLL 11 B-77

58

Baxter Black

The Flag

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the flag That flew over Valley Forge Was torn in two by the gray and the blue And bled through two world wars.

flag, america, patriotism

First Roundup: Western Ballads

FOLK COLL 11 J-25

8

Dee Strickland Johnson

The Dark-Eyed Stranger

He came to Globe one Friday night, the town was open wide. He rode up to the Bucket of Blood and tied his horse outside. A woman's voice rang clear and sweet above the reckless din; The stranger leaned against the bar and told the keeper, "Gin!"

woman, cabaret, flirt, gun

First Roundup: Western Ballads

FOLK COLL 11 J-25

10

Dee Strickland Johnson

Not Quite Lost Weekend

J. D. Maxwell worked near Keams Canyon on a ranch called the Rockin' XA. With his horse as his only companion, he started for Flagstaff one day.

accident, fall, drunk, head

First Roundup: Western Ballads

FOLK COLL 11 J-25

11

Dee Strickland Johnson

Rawhide Annie

We called her Rawhide Annie; She was big and bad and tough- Except when she was drinkin'- Then she didn't seem so rough.

cowgirl, rough, flirt, drunk

First Roundup: Western Ballads

FOLK COLL 11 J-25

12

Dee Strickland Johnson

Deja Vu

The lady hesitated with her hand on the barroom door. "Twas thirty years since that awful night when she'd been inside before; But 'twas over ten days since she'd seen her man, Who'd been out on a rambling roam; So she swallowed her pride and stepped inside - she had come to bring him home.

piano, murder, flirt, memory

First Roundup: Western Ballads

FOLK COLL 11 J-25

14

Dee Strickland Johnson

The Queen of Spades

You've heard lots of sons 'bout the queen of hearts And the queen of diamonds too, But this one here's 'bout the I'm about to sing to you.

murder, heartbreak, temptress

First Roundup: Western Ballads

FOLK COLL 11 J-25

17

Dee Strickland Johnson

The Quiet Man

The stranger entered the tavern and ordered a shot of Red Eye. "You're new around here, ain't you?" "Yep." was the stranger's reply.

louisiana, quiet, nickname

First Roundup: Western Ballads

FOLK COLL 11 J-25

20

Dee Strickland Johnson

Morning in the High Hills

In the quietness of morning when the sky is clear and white and dawn's soft hush was slipped across the solitude of night, When the last pale star has fallen and a gentle, warming sun heralds yesterday's tomorrow, I know today has newly come.

sunrise, memory, sky

First Roundup: Western Ballads

FOLK COLL 11 J-25

21

Dee Strickland Johnson

Winds of the West

Wind, wind, winds of the west, Vague voices call from the land I love best. Sighing and crying and hauntingly free, Incessantly whistling and whisp'ring to me.

wind, trees, home

First Roundup: Western Ballads

FOLK COLL 11 J-25

22

Dee Strickland Johnson

My Blue Eyed Anna Beth

"It was many and many a year ago In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me."

love, poe, death, ballad

First Roundup: Western Ballads

FOLK COLL 11 J-25

24

Dee Strickland Johnson

Fredonia

I saddle up one afternoon, and happily I hum the tune of some old plaintive cowboy song.

horse, freedom, travel

First Roundup: Western Ballads

FOLK COLL 11 J-25

26

Dee Strickland Johnson

Cowboy Poetry: Out of Style

They say rhythm and rhyme are "passe"- they're just "poor Hudebrastic style." Despite the fact that it's tough to rhyme, I propose to compose here a lyric in free or blankety-blank verse; And you, when the effort is over, Tell me which of my wordings is w... inferior to the other.

cowboy, cattle drive, poetry