Stephen Fromholz
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Narrator:
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In a bar in Arizona
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On a sultry summer day
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A cowboy came in off the road just to pass the time away
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He pulled a stool up to the bar and pushed his hat back on his head
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I listened to the stories told to the words that cowboy said. He said...
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Cowboy:
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I could tell you stories 'bout the Indians on the plain
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Talk about Wells Fargo and the comin' of the trains
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Talk of the slaughter of the buffalo that roamed
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Sing a song of settlers, come out looking for a home
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CHORUS (both)
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Now the man with the big hat is buying
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Drink up while the drinking is free
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Drink up to the cowboys a dead or a dying
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Drink to my compadres and me
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Drink to my compadres and me
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Narrator:
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Well his shirt was brown and faded
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And his hat was wide and black
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And the pants that once were blue were grey and had a pocket gone in back
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He had a finger missin' from the hand that rolled the smoke
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He laughed and talked of cowboy life but you knew it weren't no joke, he said....
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Cowboy:
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I seen the day so hot your pony could not stand
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And if your water bag was dry, don't count upon the land
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And winters, I've seen winters when your boots froze in the snow
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And your only thought was leavin', but you had nowhere to go
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CHORUS
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Narrator:
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Well he rested easy at the bar, his foot upon the rail
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And laughed and talked of times he'd had out living on the trail
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The silence was never broken as the words poured from his lips
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Quiet as the forty five he carried on his hip, he said ...
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Cowboy:
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I rode the cattle drive from here to San Antone
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Ten days in the saddle you know, and weary to the bone
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I rode from here to Wichita without a womans' smile
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The camp fire where I cooked my beans was the only light for miles
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CHORUS
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Narrator:
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Well he rolled another ciggarette, as he turned toward the door
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I heard his spurs a jingling as his boot heels hit the floor
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He loosened up his belt a notch, pulled his hat down on his head
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As he turned to say goodby to me this is what he said....
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Cowboy:
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Now the high-lines chase the highways, and the fences close the range
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And to see a working cowboy, that's a sight that's mighty strange
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But a cowboy's life was lonley, and his lot was not the best
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But if it hadn't been for men like me, there wouldn't be no west.
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Repeat Chorus
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-----------------
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Man With The Big Hat
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| Jerry Jeff Walker |
