Ralph McTell — When I Was a Cowboy

I was a cowboy Back in the alley Me and my six-gun Kept law on the prairie I remember my first horse well He was lean but a fast one We travelled miles together Until he got stolen And the sheriff said get early to bed And always keep your hat screwed on real tight Case you get in a fight Well, that's one of the tricks that you must employ If you wanna be a cowboy I travelled far from home Even jumped freight trains Threw stones in the ocean Slept out in the cold rain It was down in some southern town And the music was playing And the people were talking so loud They heard no words I was saying And the sheriff said get early to bed And always keep your hat screwed on real tight Case you get in a fight Well, that's one of the tricks that you must employ If you wanna be a cowboy I dreamed of a mountain With one lonesome rider He was ragged and tattered But he carried a sabre And all through the canyon You could hear his bones rattle He was dead on a dying horse And he was tied to the saddle And the sheriff said get early to bed And always keep your hat screwed on real tight Case you get in a fight Well, that's one of the tricks that you must employ If you wanna be a cowboy I was a cowboy Out on the prairie Life sure is easier Back home in the alley And the sheriff said get early to bed And always keep your hat screwed on real tight Case you get in a fight Well, that's one of the tricks that you must employ If you wanna be a cowboy