Michael Martin Murphey — Texas Rangers

Come all you Texas rangers, wherever you may be I'll tell you of some troubles that happened unto me My name is nothing extra, so that I will not tell And here's to all you rangers, I'm sure I wish you well It was at the age of 16, I joined the jolly band We marched from San Antonio unto the Rio Grande Our captain, he informed us, I guess he thought it right Before we reach the station, we'd surely have to fight And before we reached the station, our captain gave command "To arms, to arms," he shouted, "and by your ponies stand" I saw the smoke ascending, it seemed to reach the sky And then the thought had struck me, my time had come to die I heard the Indians coming, I heard them give a yell My feelings at that moment, no human tongue can tell I saw their glittering lances, their arrows 'round me flew And all my strength, it left me, and all my courage too And all of us were wounded, our noble captain slain The sun was shining sadly across the bloody plain Sixteen as brave our rangers has ever rode the West Were buried by their comrades with arrows in their chest And now my song is ended, I guess I've sung enough The life of any ranger, you see, is very tough And if you have a mother who don't want you to roam I advise you by experience, you'd better stay at home