Was a cowboy I knew in south Texas
His face was burnt deep by the sun
Part history, part sage, part Mexican
He was there when Poncho Villa was young.
And he'd tell you a tale of the old days
When the country was wild all around
Sit out under the stars of the Milky Way
And listen while the coyotes howl.
And they go
Now the longhorns are gone
And the drovers are gone
The Comanches are gone
And the outlaws are gone
Geronimo is gone
And Sam Bass is gone
And the lion is gone
And the red wolf is gone.
Well he cursed all the roads and the oil men
And he cursed the automobile
Said this is no place for an hombre like I am
In this new world of asphalt and steel.
Then he'd look off some place in the distance
At something only he could see
He'd say all that's left now of the old days
Those damned, old coyotes and me.
And they go
Now the longhorns are gone
And the drovers are gone
The Comanches are gone
And the outlaws are gone
Now Quantrill is gone
Stan Watie is gone
And lion is gone
And the red rolf is gone.
One morning they searched his adobe
He disappeared without even a word
But that night as the moon crossed the mountain
One more coyote was heard.
And he'd go