The Crooked Trail

Joel T. Bailey

His father died when he was nine
And his mother did all she could
To teach him right from wrong
So he'd live the way he should

By the time he was in his teens
He was already turning bad
His mother prayed he'd change
For he was all that she had

He rode with a wild bunch
And had started wearing a gun
For a thrill they robbed a stage
That put them all on the run

The Tenderfoot

Joel T. Bailey

He came out West from New York City
To start his life anew
He'd read dime novels about cowboys
So he wanted to be one too

When he got off the train in Texas
He couldn't believe the crowd
They were grinning and pointing
Some even laughed out loud

He wondered why they were laughing
And giving him funny looks
He'd bought the very same clothes
As those on the front of his books

Buck And Jim

Joel T. Bailey

Buck and Jim were drifting cowboys
Riding for one ranch then another
They were friends from childhood
Always looking out for each other

When Buck said he was leaving home
That he had some drifting to do
Jim said I guess I'll just saddle up
And ride along with you

And thats the way it had been
For a whole lot of miles and years
They had shared a lot of good times
And they even shed a few tears

The Cowboy

Joel T. Bailey

They came from everywhere
And made their stand
They carved out a way of life
In an untamed land

They trapped the wild horses
And the wily longhorn
Then they settled the range
And the cowboy was born

And down through the years
The cowboy legend grew
It took a special breed
For the job they had to do

They were nomads of the West
For they loved being free
To live life their way
And be what they wanted to be

The Love Of A Cowboy

Joel T. Bailey

She worked in a bar room
On the outskirts of Santa Fe
She dreamed of someone
Who would take her away

Then one day a cowboy came in
And asked her for a beer
She said where you from
I've never seen you in here

He said I've got a little ranch
Up on the Colorado line
And I just sold some horses
To an old friend of mine

They sat at a corner table
And talked most of the night
They were drawn to each other
It was love at first sight

The Bullrider

Joel T. Bailey

In the arena the crowd is cheering
The bullrider nods for the gate
He gives the people a show
While trying to make the eight

They come from everywhere
Trying their best to make a name
But some riders say its the rush
More than the money or fame

They live with the aches and pains
That comes from being thrown
For its the life they chose
So they just dust off and go on

The Country Boy

Joel T. Bailey

The country life is gone
But not the country boy
He's got his memories
That still bring him joy

Like the times he had
At a country school
Learning to read and write
And the golden rule

Running thru the fields
And down the gravel roads
Chasing the country girls
With snakes and toads

Playing around the barn
Having corncob fights
And setting fishing lines
On warm summer nights

A Western Night

Joel T. Bailey

As the sun goes down
And the darkness falls
The West is transformed
Into a home with no walls

Under a mesquite tree
A small fire glows
A cowboy is camped
Where a tiny stream flows

On a moonlit hill
A timber wolf howls
Through the dusty sage
A hungry coyote prowls

Across the cloudless sky
A nightbird glides in flight
In a hole a rattler hides
From the cold of the night

Two Old Saddle Pals

Joel T. Bailey

They were born and raised in the West
And good friends sense boyhood
Through good times and bad
By each other’s side they stood

But now their hair has turned to gray
And their eyes are dimmed with age
No longer do they ride along
Through the plains of dusty sage

Gone are their carefree cowboy days
And the open range they'd roam
Now their foreman is a nurse
Their bunkhouse an old folks home

Dooley's Mail Order Bride

Joel T. Bailey

Dooley was a rancher and had been most of his life
But now that he was older he started wanting a wife

All the women he knew were married or to old for him
So the chance of finding someone close was very slim

Some of his ranch hands said why don't you order one
For thats what some of the other ranchers had done

He thought about it then decided thats what he'd do
If it worked for the others it would work for him too