Stampede

(album: Sings The Ballads Of The True West - 1965)

We made camp along Red River
Watched the cattle as they bedded down
Back at the wagons, right after supper
We spread our bedrolls on the ground
And me and Willie, we took the night guard
And the sage never smelled so sweet
The prairie moon, was blazing silver
No chance tonight for a stampede

Way over yonder, off in the distance
Towards the mountains there in the west
Did I see lightning, did I hear thunder
My mind is weary, I could use some rest
Then all at once, the wind shifts directions
The clouds roll in behind the tumbleweeds
These longhorn cattle, are getting restless
God help us all, if they stampede

Smell the rain, hear the thunder
The midnight sky, turns black as death
The lightning crashes, smell the sulphur
It's rank and strong, it's Satan's breath
The cattle rise up, and go to running
I spur my pony on and take the lead
And across the herd, I can hear Willie yelling
Hey Stampede!

Dust clouds rise, as the rain falls
They mix together, turn the air to mud
I feel the longhorns brush against me
And I can feel the demons racing through my blood
Then all at once, my pony stumbles
We hit the ground, I rise up to my knees
In a flash of light, I can see the cattle coming
Lord I know I'm gonna die in this stampede

Then I awake, and I look around me
I'm in my bedroll and I'm laying on the ground
Over there's the wagon, and there's the campfire
I was only dreaming, but what's that sound?
Then I feel the earth tremble underneath me
As the midnight sky begins to bleed
And from the blackness I can hear Willie yelling
Hey Stampede