FOLK COLLECTION 11: The Skaggs Foundation Cowboy Poetry Collection

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

177

Dave Stamey

Sage in Her Hair

Her hair was thick and braided Her skin freckled by the sun Our eyes 'neath hat brims shaded We'd watch those wild horses run

relationship, love, mistake

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

180

Dave Stamey

Bubba and the Goat

The football helmet came from Sears The nanny goat's name was Annabelle The third element was Bubba, and Bubba was crazy as hell

goat, butting heads, stunt

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

184

Dave Stamey

Wild Sierra

I thought that I was ready to quit my running 'round Thought I'd try a home life on for size She was what I wanted, for her I'd settle down But she saw the wild sierra in my eyes

love, reality, eyes

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

186

Dave Stamey

Comfortable Shoes

The most underrated thing in the world Is comfortable shoes You can have your money and your beautiful girls Give me comfortable shoes

shoes, comfort, life

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

189

Dave Stamey

Sweet Grass County Line

Montana morning The far hills show traces of snow The day, come a-dawning Lights rimrock where junipers grow

county line, grass, country

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

191

Dave Stamey

Zodiac Hell

The excursion company was a one-man operation run out of a dull gray clapboard house in a town with too many syllables in its name that I can't remember and never could pronounce in the first place. The captain was a tall thin guy in shorts and a wool sweatshirt, sort of a combination Surfer Joe and Barnacle Bill. He wore an ace bandage around his left foot, and flip flops.

hawaii, surfing, beach

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

197

Dave Stamey

There is an Echo

There is an echo, through the morning Up the mountain and down the other side Listen close, hear it ringing Catch it in your hand before it dies

echo, river, nature

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

199

Dave Stamey

Mojave Moon

Mojave moon, you're peeking through the stars tonight I'm begging you, come on and shine your light My baby's leaving on the morning train If we don't hurry, she won't be back again

moon, desert, nature

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

201

Dave Stamey

Sunrise

Gather your horses in darkness, woodsmoke burns your eyes The chill settles around you, the moon's gone from the sky Your breath, it steams in the crackling air Waiting for starlight to fade, and sunrise

sun, warmth, color

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

203

Dave Stamey

Free and Easy

No use running around Too many people sing that tune Slow up, ease her on down You're never gonna catch the moon

relax, busy, calm

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

205

Dave Stamey

Chicken Number Eight

The chicken we call "Number Eight" showed up again this morning. It was a surprise - I actually jumped back.

chicken, mystery, vanishing

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

207

Dave Stamey

Let Me Sell You a Dream

Step up, pilgrims, let me shake your hands Come gather 'round me while I go into my dance Look at this bottle, see how it gleams Here it is, children, let me sell you a dream

clerk, dream, wonder

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

210

Dave Stamey

Runaway Horse

He's got a house on the hill, got a head on his shoulders He's done real well, that's what they all say He drives a brand new truck, and folks respect him

escape, worry, regret

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

213

Dave Stamey

New Mexico Woman

New Mexico woman, hot summer night At a bar in Las Cruces, bright neon lights When she smiled at you, you got lost inside the blue of her eyes The endless blue that you find in New Mexico skies

western, song, woman

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

215

Dave Stamey

Fence Building Blues

He's got a roll of rusty wire, a big old T-post driver He had some pride, but he don't know where it went Got a set of post hole diggers, and it's hard for him to figure How he wound up out here, building fence

fence, depression, work

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

217

Dave Stamey

The Land Where Cedars Grow

When I come from Ireland, I was but seventeen Half grown and half starved, I This country was wilder than I ever dreamed And I was full of try The land, it shone like a brand new dime Bright like a fire glows But she shone brightest when I headed west To the land where cedars grow

novel, song, caution

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

220

Dave Stamey

Custer's Ghost

Custer's ghost, standing by the river Custer's ghost, wondering what went wrong Searching all along the Greasy Grass He wonders where his darling Libby's gone

Custer, love, wandering

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

223

Dave Stamey

The Ballad of Bart McGee

Come hear the story of Bart McGee Inyo County deputy, 1873 The Chavez gang was running wild, raising hell Bart tracked 'em, but things did not go well

mule, history, song

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

226

Dave Stamey

The Blue Light Motel

At the Blue Light Motel Just off the highway Vegas is a long ways from here He listens while the wind Rattles the palm trees And dinner is crackers and beer

motel, rodeo, travel

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

229

Dave Stamey

Sell Me a Pony

Mister, could you sell me a pony to carry me home? I'm tired of being alone The winds are getting cold now, hope I ain't waiting too long Mister, can you sell me a pony to carry me home? Oh, sell me a pony to carry me home

pony, time, lost

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

232

Dave Stamey

At the Truck Stop

A wild-eyed prophet from the desert wanders in Bible verses painted on his van There's a girl in cuts-offs, hunting a ride She's got a tattoo of a flower on her hand

truck stop, travel, gas

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

235

Dave Stamey

The Ghost of Old 83

Go down that raging river river, you must travel when it's dark Half an hour before moon rise, you'll hear a meadow lark Ten miles west of the county line, when you hear the cock crow seven times Look around and you'll find you are there, you are there

ghost, train, railroad

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

238

Dave Stamey

Orange Cove Auto Repair and Smog

I been pulling wrenches eighteen years One block south of Main I got Snap-On tools, an engine hoist My days are all the same In an old tin-sided building I lease from year to year In the summer time, it sure gets hot in here

main street, auto shop, repair

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

241

Dave Stamey

Montana Homestead 1915

Dreaming of a better life for my wife and me I swallowed their promises of how it all would be And I rode their railroad train through a cloud of hope and steam But I never heard how loud the wind could scream

railroad, plains, settlers

The First Twenty Five Years: Songs and Stories

Dave Stamey

FOLK COLL 11 S-76

244

Dave Stamey

Again

Again, I swore I'd never come back And then I find I have returned Though I know the better place is somewhere else I'm back, 'til I get burned again

airport, love, longing