COWBOY CODE

I'm riding with an outfit
That’s loyal to its brand.
I've got a gun and a rope
Which I keep close at hand

Anyone who would harm
What belongs to the brand
They are my enemy
No matter who the man.

Never have I ever lied
Or stole from my boss
Nor let anyone else
Regardless of cost.

Late at night, beneath the stars,
We sit around the fire;
Drinking coffee and telling stories
About whatever we desire.

I feel the Lord cracks a smile
When he watches us cowboys
Looking up from down below
At heaven with all its glories.

Once I was so in love,
I married a beautiful wife;
She took ill and passed away
So I chose a cowboy's life.

My boss has a pretty wife;
His family I respect.
They treat me as I treat them
So their lives I shall protect.

The cowboy code can be found
On the ranches of the West
Where real men still earn their place
By being their very best.

THE HANGING TREE

The hanging tree the hanging tree
A great big cottonwood that waits for me.
Just out of town by Old Boot Hill
Where they’ll take my body and a grave they’ll fill

Now, I don't know, but I was told
They’ll use a slow horse and a rope that's old.
Lord, have mercy on a sinner's soul;
To end up in heaven was always my goal.

It's true; I’ve stole a horse or two
Even after pledging to you.
I've drank to much and loved to many
Became plain stupid and spent every penny.

Come first light I’ll greet my fate
For the hangman and I have a early date.
I'll mumble and stumble then hold my breath
As I pray for God's grace after my death.

THE KANSAS FRONTIER

Coronado, in his search to find gold for Spain
Was the first European on the green Kansas plane.
Explorers and traders were arriving from France.
They saw the buffalo and the Indians who danced.

At the mouth of the Kaw were campfires in the dark;
Two men by the river named Lewis and Clark.
Large numbers of Indians, forced out from the East
Resettled to Kansas where the buffalo feast.

So, many a cowboy decided to stay
It wasn't very long and most Indians were forced away.
When Missouri joined the Union; the slave states equaled the free.
Which way would Kansas vote, congress was anxious to see.

The Heart-Landers were bleeding; their towns were on fire;
As raiders from the slave states tried to force their desire.
The settlement of Lawrence was sacked by a mob
In revenge came John Brown, who would murder and rob.

Kansas joined the Union as the Civil War began.
After four long years of tragedy, many women lost their man.
Cattle trails met the railroads as they pushed across the state.
Farmers planted corn and wheat as the buffalo awaited their fate.

Those frontier days have long since gone, though the sunflower is still here;
My childhood home of Kansas where the buffalo roam with the deer.

LEAF ON THE WATER

America’s East Coast was settled by the "Brits"
As the Indians rule began to recede.
After many a battle, they lost their land
Giving into the white man's power and greed.

In years to come like a leaf on the water
The Indians were swept away by the white man.
As trappers and pioneers pushing westward
Brought death and disease to the land.

With the white settlements came the fur traders
Followed by soldiers, forts, whiskey and form tools.
None of which helped the Indians to survive
Who chose to wage war, and break the white man's rules.

Many treaties were made, just to be broken
By those eager for land, timber, furs and gold.
Prospectors arrived to plunder the land
And to be farmers, the Indians were told.

The combat raged on, to the western prairie,
Over mountains and down through the desert sand.
Indians proved to be formidable foe
As both sides fought from afar and hand-to-hand.

Lieutenant Colonel Custer, led his cavalry
In search of fame and tribal disgrace.
But instead he and his men were butchered
By hostile Indians with paint on their face.

Around the campfires of Rosebud and Pine Ridge
Singing warriors danced till Sitting Bull's death.
Most were forced to surrender at Wounded Knee
Where many sad Indian would draw their last breathe.

With their fighting spirit completely broken
And their ancient tribal ways forever gone.
Proud Indians were moved to reservations
Where their once great history in song lives on.

RODEO RIDER

From dawn to dusk my horse breathes flames
I'm a rodeo rider with no time for games.
I ride and I fly as I hang on to hair
Ramming my spurs in the sides of a mare.

Every bone in my body feels some sort of pain
No wonder the normal call me insane.
I’ll drink cold beer and smoke a skinny
And in between paydays, I'll spend every penny.

So give me my horse and get out of the way
As I ride off to glory, till my dieing day.
Waving my Stetson, as the crowd cheers me on
How soon they’ll forget after I'm gone.

ONE MORE TIME

Fourteen horsemen are riding together
With pistols, and rifles, holstered in leather.
Bank robbery is the reason; it's me they chase
Eager men of all sizes and different race.

The sheriff and his posse are hot on my trail
Determined to hang me in front of the jail.
There’s a five thousand dollar reward on my head
Makes no difference if I'm live or dead.

My horse has gone lame and my canteen is dry
I'm sucking on cactus so of thirst I don’t die.
It's a five-mile walk to the Rio Grand
Where I can drink my fill by hatful or hand.

I've already hidden the money and gold
Inside a cottonwood, by it's size, is old.
Someday I'll return and my treasure I'll take
Then build me a castle by a pristine lake.

Presently my choice is to run for my life
Cause I can't fight fourteen with a gun and knife.
If I reach the river I'll grab me a log
Swim for the current and get lost in the fog.

Lord, if you're willing, please save me "one more time"
And I'll never rob again, I'll just write rhyme.

All Poems By
Tom Zart

“TOM ZART’S 305 POEMS”

You can hear all of Tom Zart’s 300 poems of love, war, faith and more 24-7 on web radio at=

http://internetvoicesradio.com/Arch-TomZart.htm

Tom Zart ARCHIVES:
FREE TO DOWNLOAD

Global
Special
Operations
101
http://www.globalspecialoperations.com/tomzart2.html

Poems of Love, War, Faith And More
By Tom Zart “Soldier For The Lord”
Most Published Poet On The Web
Author of LOVE WAR AND MORE