There's a hundred years of history and a hundred before that.
All gathered in the thinkin' goin' on beneath his hat
And back behind his eyeballs and pumpin' through his veins
Is the ghost of every cowboy that ever held the reins.
Every coil in his lasso's been thrown a million times.
His quiet concentrations been distilled through ancient minds
It's evolution workin' when silver scratches hide
And a ghostly cowboy chorus fills his head and says "Let's ride!"
He's got Buffalo Bill Cody and and Goodnight Jiggers boss
And all the brave blue soldigers that General Custer lost
The ghost of Poncho Villa, Sittin' Bull, and Jesse James
All gathered by his campfire keepin' score and taking names.
There's every Royal Mountie that ever got his man
And every day work cowboy that ever made a hand
Each man that rode before him, yup, every mothers son
Is in his corner rootin' when he nods to make his run
Freckles Brown might pull his bull rope, Casey Tibbs might jerk the flank
Bill Pickett might be hazin' when he starts to turn the crank
Plus Remington and Russell lookin' down his buckhorn site
All watchin' through the window of this cowboys eyes tonight
And standin' in the catch pen or in chute # 9
Is the offspring of a mountain that's come down from oldentime
A volcano waitin' quiet 'til they climb upon his back
Rumblin' like the engine of a freight train on the track
A cross between a she bear and a bad four-wheel drive
With the fury of an eagle when it makes a power dive
A snake who's lost it's caution or a badger gone beserk
He's a screamin', stompin', clawin', rabid mad-dog piece of work.
From the rollers in his nostrils to the foam upon his lips
From the hooves as hard as granite to the horns with dagger tips
From the flat black starrin' shark's eye that's the mirror of his soul
Shines the challenge to each cowboy like the devil callin' roll.
In the seconds that tick slowly, 'til he climbs upon his back
Each rider faces down the fear that makes his mouth grow slack
And cuts his guts to ribbons and gives his tounge a coat.
He swallows back the panic gorge that's risin' in his throat
The smell of hot blue copper fills the air around his head
Then a single solid shiver shakes away the doubt and dread
The cold flame burns within him 'till his skin's as cold as ice
And the dues he paid to get here are worth every sacrifice.
All the miles spent sleepy-drivin', all the money down the drain,
All the "If I's" and "Nearly"'s, all the bandages and pain,
All the female tears left dryin', all the fever and the fight
Are just a small down payment on the ride he makes tonight.
And his partner in this madness that the cowboys call a game
Is a ton of buckin' thunder bent on provin' why he came.
But the cowboy never wavers, he intends to do his best
And of that widow-maker, he expects of him no less.
There's a solemn, silent moment that every rider knows,
When time stops on a heartbeat like the earth itself was froze.
Then all that ancient instinct fills that space between his ears
'Til the whispers of his phantoms are the only thing he hears.
When you get down to the cuttin' and the leather touched hide
And there's nothin' left to think about, he nods and says "Outside"
Then frozen for an instant against the open gate
Is history turned to flesh and blood, a warrior incarnate
And while they pose like statues in that flicker of an eye
There's somethin almost sacred, you can see it if you try.
It's guts and love and glory - one mortals chance at fame
His legacy is Rodeo and Cowboy is his name!
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