If you ask most people what Western music is you’d likely hear the response, cowboys and Indians. We have great respect for these music’s but we also think there is more to the West and its music. We, as musicians, like to identify with things larger than ourselves. They are often places, like the Delta and its blues or the mountain music of Appalachia. It could even be a city music like New Orleans, Austin, or Bakersfield. In our case inspiration comes from the deserts of southern Utah, thus American Desert Music.
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This song comes from a long and rambling ballad sung for John Lomax by one of Hal’s favorite old-time cowboy singers, Dick Devall from Oklahoma. Hal reworked some of the best words and then he and Greg made up a new melody. Eli helped make this song spooky as it takes us back to an 1881 trail drive in some kind of musical time machine.
lyrics
I left old Texas way back in eighty-one
Four thousand longhorns, as wild as ever run
Al Blocker was our trail boss, and you bet he was a good one
He said to me, kiddo, I know you’re true blue
Got fifteen good cowhands and you bet they’re all two bars
Just point those old longhorns right towards that North Star
Just point those old longhorns right towards the North Star
Git on that right point and bring those steers through
He told that horse wrangler, just throw them horses in
A river to ford boys, so don’t be thin skinned
Deep river to cross, and we’re goin’ right in
I’m telling you, cowboys, you’ll take that bitter pill
It’s the hills of Wyoming, out by the ‘dobe walls
We’ll get back to Texas late in the fall
Back to old Texas, chuck wagons and all
And he looked over at me boys, and winked that big eye
credits
from Dark Desert Night,
released September 17, 2015
words, traditional; music and arrangement Cannon/Istock ASCAP
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