| CATTLEDRIVES AND BARBED WIRE Now, where Canyons are Grand and Rocky Mountains do stand, "Don't Fence Me In" is often heard from the band. Where the prairies and pines offer fresh air for a change, The stars sparkle and shine -- it's the great open range. Where the longhorn-ed steer were free-roaming cattle, Rounded up in the spring by men tall in the saddle. And as calls for more beef rang out in the nation, They'd drive the great herds to a far railroad station. Yes, to Abilene, to Dodge, and to Kansas City, The trips were grueling and long, dusty, dirty and gritty. While one peal of thunder or one pop from a gun Could spark a stampede -- and how those doggies would run! And so men on horseback, riding into that rush, Would go circle them back, risking limbs in the crush. Indeed, cowboys were tough, most were young and real brave -- Many from Mexico and a few former slaves. And right sharp with a shooter, with a horse and a lasso, They'd show their skills off at a Wild West Show. Where they'd bust wild broncos and rope a stray calf, And then hit the saloons for a drink and a laugh. No, not a life to get rich; it paid but a dime -- But you could go ride a bull to have a good time. Wearing spurs and long chaps and a ten-gallon hat, They were tough as rawhide -- but smile when you say that! Ah, but the western frontier, once so open and wild, Would go through great changes and see living more mild. As the shepherds and settlers, those carving out lots, Weren't keen to see cows trampled onto their plots. And the simplest of things did soon alter events: 'Twas a region transformed by a barbed wire fence. And with both rancher and cow now hemmed into place, The vast open West became a sliced and diced space... |
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| Worksheet # 81 |
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