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Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads

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THE DREARY, DREARY LIFE (p. 233) A cowboy's life is a dreary, dreary life, Some say it's free from care; Rounding up the cattle from morning till night In the middle of the prairie so bare. Half-past four, the noisy cook will roar, "Whoop-a-whoop-a-hey!" Slowly you will rise with sleepy-feeling eyes, The sweet, dreamy night passed away. The greener lad he thinks it's play, He'll soon peter out on a cold rainy day, With his big bell spurs and his Spanish hoss, He'll swear to you he was once a boss. The cowboy's life is a dreary, dreary life, He's driven through the heat and cold; While the rich man's a-sleeping on his velvet couch, Dreaming of his silver and gold. Spring-time sets in, double trouble will begin, The weather is so fierce and cold; Clothes are wet and frozen to our necks, The cattle we can scarcely hold. The cowboy's life is a dreary one, He works all day to the setting of the sun; And (p. 234) then his day's work is not done, For there's his night herd to go on. The wolves and owls with their terrifying howls Will disturb us in our midnight dream, As we lie on our slickers on a cold, rainy night Way over on the Pecos stream. You are speaking of your farms, you are speaking of your charms, You are speaking of your silver and gold; But a cowboy's life is a dreary, dreary life, He's driven through the heat and cold. Some folks say that we are free from care, Free from all other harm; But we round up the cattle from morning till night Way over on the prairie so dry. I used to run about, now I stay at home, Take care of my wife and child; Nevermore to roam, always stay at home, Take care of my wife and child. Half-past four the noisy cook will roar, "Hurrah, boys! she's breaking day!" Slowly we will rise and wipe our sleepy eyes, The sweet, dreamy night passed away. <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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