Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads

<p class="tit-song">THE JOLLY COWBOY <span class="pagenum"><SPAN id="page284" name="page284"></SPAN>(p. 284)</span></p> <p>My lover, he is a cowboy, he's brave and kind and true,<br/> He rides a Spanish pony, he throws a lasso, too;<br/> And when he comes to see me our vows we do redeem,<br/> He throws his arms around me and thus begins to sing:</p> <p class="add2em">"Ho, I'm a jolly cowboy, from Texas now I hail,<br/> Give me my quirt and pony, I'm ready for the trail;<br/> I love the rolling prairies, they're free from care and strife,<br/> Behind a herd of longhorns I'll journey all my life.</p> <p>"When early dawn is breaking and we are far away,<br/> We fall into our saddles, we round-up all the day;<br/> We rope, we brand, we ear-mark, I tell you we are smart,<br/> And when the herd is ready, for Kansas then we start.</p> <p>"Oh, I am a Texas cowboy, lighthearted, brave, and free,<br/> To roam the wide, wide prairie, 'tis always joy to me.<br/> My <span class="pagenum"><SPAN id="page285" name="page285"></SPAN>(p. 285)</span> trusty little pony is my companion true,<br/> O'er creeks and hills and rivers he's sure to pull me through.</p> <p>"When threatening clouds do gather and herded lightnings flash,<br/> And heavy rain drops splatter, and rolling thunders crash;<br/> What keeps the herd from running, stampeding far and wide?<br/> The cowboy's long, low whistle and singing by their side.</p> <p>"When in Kansas City, our boss he pays us up,<br/> We loaf around the city and take a parting cup;<br/> We bid farewell to city life, from noisy crowds we come,<br/> And back to dear old Texas, the cowboy's native home."</p> <p>Oh, he is coming back to marry the only girl he loves,<br/> He says I am his darling, I am his own true love;<br/> Some day we two will marry and then no more he'll roam,<br/> But settle down with Mary in a cozy little home.</p> <p class="add2em">"Ho, I'm a jolly cowboy, from Texas now I hail,<br/> Give me my bond to Mary, I'll quit the Lone Star trail.<br/> I <span class="pagenum"><SPAN id="page286" name="page286"></SPAN>(p. 286)</span> love the rolling prairies, they're free from care and strife,<br/> But I'll quit the herd of longhorns for the sake of my little wife."</p> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />