EQUINE

Verse 1:
Stormy throws her head
She don’t like the sound of lead
Rippin’ through the sky on a cool clear autumn morn’
She high trots back home
She can’t stand to be alone
And she’s been that way since the day that she was born

Chorus 1:
But I love her anyway and I wouldn’t trade a single day
Of ridin’ for another day to be alive
The wind in her long black mane
She’s the only thing that keeps me sane
The only way today a cowboy can survive
Equine…

Verse 2:
A mind all his own
Old Bud was as hard as a stone
And he threw me to the ground a dozen times or more
Runnin’ down the road
Cussin’ cause I’d just been throwed
All the way back to the old brown double barn door

Chorus 2:
But I loved him anyway and I wouldn’t trade a single day
Of ridin’ for another day to be alive
The wind in his long gold mane
He was the only thing that kept me sane
The only way today that a cowboy can survive
Equine…

Bridge:
There’s a fire burnin’ in me still
And a cold, hard-iron will
To get back on no matter how hard I fall
And I think of them days sometimes
To ease my troubled mind
Ev’rytime my back’s up against a wall

Verse 3:
He’s one tired, old paint
He’s a little less can than can’t
And I see the hesitation in his eyes
I lift a little saddle on
He kicks him in the sides and they’re gone
And Lord I can’t believe how the years go by

Chorus 3:
And how I love that little boy
Ridin’ high like Gene and Roy
Fadin’ like a hero into that western sun
The wind in his thick gold hair
I close my eyes and for a moment I’m there
The only way today a cowboy can survive
Equine…

Hays up in the fields
Needs cuttin’ before the rains
Your wife’s knocked up
And your tractor is broken down
Your Old Man feeds your horses
And cusses you on the phone
Says you oughtta find a steady job in town

CHORUS:
So turn ’em out
And dig ’em in
I pray the Lord tonight you win
Yer missin’ teeth, yer busted arm and all
No guts
No glory
A hundred years and it’s the same old story
You’re at your best when your back’s against the wall<

VERSE 2:
Remember those good times we had
Sellin’ beer for Rick Makris
He always had a case inside his truck
Then you went straight for a mission
And I cried at your farewell
All I could say was goodbye and good luck

Now we’re both pushin’ thirty-five
Lucky we’re both still alive
For the rank horses and the
Crazy women we’ve knowed
I’ve seen you down and out before
And then come back to win
But I wish I could help you shoulder your load

Repeat Chorus

FINAL VERSE:
Well some might call that ride damn lucky
But I know you’re the best
That little mare can buck
But she can’t fly
A thousand dollars don’t go very far
Health insurance and a second car
But somethin’ tells me somehow you’ll get by

Repeat Chorus

Verse 1:
The oldest of three
And it’s plain to see
That his life ain’t been hard
But it sure ain’t been easy
The little gray mare
She started to buck
He came up off the ground
And called it hard luck

Chorus:
‘Cause Casey’s a cowboy
Right down to the core
He’s blood, sweat, and grit
No less and no more
And the times might get tough
As tough are the times
But Casey’s a cowboy
And he’ll do just fine

Verse 2:
His daddy don’t say much
If it comes to a fight
The old family quarrels
The wrongs and right
And the twelve hour days
And hay on the ground
And the family troubles
They don’t get him down

Repeat Chorus

Bridge:
I don’t wonder why you worry long
He holds it all in-he won’t say what’s wrong
I don’t doubt that you’d take all his pain
To make it alright
And I’d do the same

Verse 3:
But there’s an unwritten code
He’s lived all his life
He’ll shoulder this load
And still love his wife
And horses and troubles
They get broken with time
And Casey’s a cowboy
And he’ll do just fine

Final Chorus

Verse 1:
There’s a whole lot of holes in Sweetwater County
The jackrabbits and the coyotes run
The Red Desert rolls on forever
Blood red in the settin’ sun
The marijuana and the cocaine highway
Federales couldn’t keep it clean
State troopers start off the right way
But big money’s just a lawman’s dream

Chorus:
And there’s a whole lot of holes in Sweetwater County
One lone deputy upheld the law
He was a black-belt in Quan Do Karate
And a master of the old quick draw
He gave ’em hell
Ed Cantrell

Verse 2:
Was a long drive down to the Silver Dollar Bar
He said take it slow Sargeant Callas you drive
He saw a crooked smile in the rear view mirror
Or he might have made it home alive
But as Rosa reached down for his ankle gun
Cantrell saw the flash through the thunder head sky
He was spitten lead before the crash of thunder
A thirty-eight special right between the eyes

Repeat Chorus:

Verse 3:
The jury found Ed Cantrell not guilty
Though some say he should’ve died in jail
He went back to Sweetwater County
Ready to take on the whole cartel
The cattle rustlers and the low-dive dealers
Sweat bullets when they heard his name
The money and drugs quit runnin’
He was one for the lawman hall-of-fame

Repeat Chorus:

Verse 4:
So to all of you criminals and two-bit outlaws
You drug runners and murderin’ thieves
You might go scott-free in this life
But you better watch out when you leave
Cause if you’re headed where the brimstone burns and boils
At the hot, black, gapin’ jaws of hell
There’s a five-star standin’ with a thirty-eight pistol
It’s gold-badge deputy Ed Cantrell

Final Chorus

Tag:
There’s a whole lot of holes in Sweetwater County…

Verse 1:
Another high water summer
I feel her again
A rush of passion and wonder
Like a warm summer wind
The taste of high mountain rain
Fallin’ sweet off her cheeks
Somewhere between pleasure and pain
When that old memory speaks

Chorus 1:
And when the days turned to evenin’
And the hot August sun fell down
We’d drive to that place in the canyon
And make love to the sound
Of the Wild Weber River

Verse 2:
It was the summer from heaven
How could I think it would end
I went on back to Wyomin’
She went to college with her friends

Chorus 2:
But when the days turned to evenin’
And the hot August sun fell down
I’d think of that place in the canyon
Where we made love to the sound
Of the Wild Weber River

Bridge:
So much time gone
I’m still livin’ on the edge
All I see lookin’ down from this bridge

Verse 3:
Is just the high rollin’ water
Catchin’ the high mountain rain
It disappears down canyon
I’ll never see it again

Chorus 3:
But when the days turn to evenin’
And the hot August sun falls down
I drive to this place in the canyon
Think of love; hear the sound
Of the Wild Weber River

Verse 1:
Ten years ain’t a very long time
When it’s all that you’ve had
And there’s no easy way to break that kind of news
You take the good with the bad
She took the reins of a strong, fast horse
She let his hair be her own
And through the hardest of times he was there
She was never alone

Chorus 1:
And the days ran long sometimes
And the nights longer still
Her Daddy lifted her up to ride
But it was her iron will
That cancer couldn’t kill

Verse 2:
Tonight she has turned twenty-five
One good cowboy at her side
And he thanks God that she made it through alive
And together they will ride
In a little house on an acre of land
Old rose bushes ’round the yard
She takes the reins of that same strong horse
But she don’t ride him quite so hard

Chorus 2:
And the days will go by so fast
The future God only knows
I close my eyes and I think about the past
When I see Rachel’s Roses
When I see Rachel’s Roses

Verse 3:
I have my own cross I must bear
I have my own twist of fate
Doubt like cancer grows in my mind
Sometimes I feel so afraid
I take the reins of a strong, fast horse
I let her will be my own
And through the hardest of times she is there
I am never alone

Final Chorus:
And the days will go by so fast
The future God only knows
I close my eyes and I feel so blessed
When I see Rachel’s Roses
When I see Rachel’s Roses

Verse 1:
Watched my buckskin and my saddle and my day bags and my gun
Rollin’ ass over tea-kettle down into the mornin’ sun
She was bent and she was twisted she was bruised up in the back
We were half-an-hour scoutin’ down the hill for broken tack
We were halfway up Red Mountain we were full of grit and oil
And I was bound and stone determined not to let that roundup spoil
So I kicked her in the gizzard and I pulled up on the reins
And climbed back up into the saddle ‘spite of all her aches and pains

Chorus 1:
And it ain’t that I don’t love ‘er ’cause the Good Lord knows I do
And I’ll be on her or beside her right up ’til my days are through
But if you’re gonna be a cowboy better heed your inner forces
‘Cause it’s hell on yer women and it’s harder on your horses

Verse 2:
She was cradlin’ my baby she was in her rockin’ chair
And he was noisily a nursin’ ‘neath the tendrils of her hair
And I just had to break it to her I was out o’ job again
When I get back from buckarooin’ I will find some more work then
‘Cause we were off and we were runnin’ Heiner Canyon in the fall
Tall, dark timber golden aspen ‘neath the red rock canyon wall
Cattle rollin’ down the meadows mamas-babies hear ’em cry
Brings a burnin’ to your bosom and a tear drop to your eye

Repeat Chorus

Bridge:
I can stand here before you I can look you in the eye
And say I’ll never be a rich man and I know the reason why
‘Cause I’d trade fancy trucks and money
I’d trade power, I’d trade fame
For one more day of buckarooin’ on a horse that’s halfway lame

Final Chorus:
And it ain’t that I don’t love ’em cause the Good Lord knows I do
And I’ll be on ’em or beside ’em right up ’til my days are through
But if you’re gonna be a cowboy better heed your inner forces
‘Cause it’s Hell on yer women and it’s harder on your horses

Verse 1:
Hey, Hey little Isaac/Carry that old shed horn
All the way to the cabin/Where your Grandpa was born
Down in Heiner Canyon/’Neath that red rock wall
And the sortin’ pen/Where you saw your Daddy fall
It’s a cool spring mornin’/It’s a far, far cry
From the world that’s changin’/Fast as the days go by
Better cinch your saddle/Better hold your reigns
Better ride like hell/Through the winds of change

Chorus:
Hey little Isaac there’s a family brand/On a runnin’ iron passin’ into your hand
Six generations that depend on you/Gonna be some hard times
Gonna be a wreck or two

Verse 2:
When you fall down hard/And your life goes by
And you’re layin’ on a rock/Lookin’ through the sky
With a son of your own/Fightin’ back his tears
Holdin’ onto your hand/Will you have no fear
For the life you’ve lived/Ridin’ tall and true
On the sacred land/That the Lord gave you
Can you take what comes boy/Can you pass it on
Can you be who you are son/And let the world move on

Repeat Chorus

Bridge:
It ain’t so much he’s livin’ right as he’s got more to do
Hey Little Isaac he depends on you

Final Chorus

Verse 1
It’s a long way from Saddleback to Sunset Boulevard
And the bright lights of the city hide the stars
And there’s always somethin’ pressin’ you; someone you need to call
But Daddy I’d give anything to be there where you are

Chorus
In Colorado
It doesn’t seem like long ago
I rode beside you
And Daddy I love you
Now California
The weather’s so much warmer
But tonight I miss you
And Daddy I love you
I’m down here on top of the world
But Daddy I am still your little cowgirl

Verse 2
You’re a long way from the little girl that you once used to be
But you always said my dreams could all come true
I always hoped that Steamboat Springs had all you’d ever need
Now after all this time I feel there’s more for me to do

Repeat Chorus
Bridge
City lights
Hollywood Hills
You are there
But my heart is still
Final Chorus

Verse 1:
One foot in front of the other
One day at a time
Another round of chemo comin’
It gets to be a grind
The sun’s out
The springtime’s comin’
He wants to go outside
He may never walk again
But he will ride…
A little sorrel mare called Jessie
A long way from home
The little boy she used to carry
Has left her all alone
The sun’s high
Over Franklin Canyon
She wants to go outside
He may never walk again
But he will ride…

Chorus:
And they are two hearts in need of somethin’
That only they can provide
A cowhorse and her little cowboy
Waitin’ to reunite
The will to live
The will to ride
It’s a powerful force
There’s nothin’ in this life worth doin’
That you can’t do on a horse

Verse 2:
I don’t have a crystal ball
I’m not a PhD
You won’t get to be rich and famous
Hangin’ around with me
But I believe that
God’s a cowboy
And that He understands
A little boy so sick and tired
Needs a special friend

Repeat Chorus

Verse 3:
Stem cells and radiation
Another second chance
They say that life is that which happens
While makin’ other plans
My story has a happy ending
For all the tears we’ve cried
You don’t have to walk my friend
To be able to ride

Final Chorus

Verse 1:
Show me the ways of horsemen
Rope halter, snaffle, and bosal
Screw me down tight on the buckers
I wanna ride this colt through hell
Tell me the Roughrider’s secrets
How to 9-1-1 your latigo
To cross her feet in a tussle
When to hang on when to let go

Chorus:
You are a modern contradiction
You hold to the ways of yesterday
You wooly buckaroo
I wish I was you
You say all there is to say
With a whisper

Verse 2:
Soft-mouthed and always lookin’ for you
I see obedience in her eye
Her ears are ever-leanin’ forward
Between the desert and the sky
With a fancy wild-rag ’round your neck
Jingle-bobs are singin’ outta tune
Just you and her until the sun sets
Here upon the far Owyhee moon

Repeat Chorus

Verse 3:
Show me the ways of horsemen
Rope halter,snaffle, and bosal
Teach me the Roughrider’s secrets
I wanna ride this colt through hell

Verse 1:
Where the high meets the lonesome with my face into the wind
Lookin’ out across the canyon I remember what has been
In the sky like the eagle on the mountain like the deer
When I’m longing for freedom I can always find it here

Chorus:
And the distant thunder echoes
Like the troubles in my soul
We turn tail to the wind
And listen to it roll

Verse 2:
Where the high meets the lonesome I am looking in the mirror
And my sins and my burdens wash away when I am here
In the sky God is watching o’er the mountain where I stand
It is here we can commune and I know He understands

Chorus 2:
And when the distant thunder echoes
Through the canyons of my soul
I can feel His sweet embrace
And we listen to it roll

Verse 3:
Where the high meets the lonesome I look the devil in the eye
He is deep in the canyon; he is always standing by
But I fly like the eagle and I run like the deer
Where the high meets the lonesome he can never touch me here

Verse 1:
Damned old cowboy you’re broken again
Just a quiver and a change on the wind
And you’re pullin’ out leather and cussin’ in vain
Tryin’ to stand through the pain
Damned old buckskin all full of the fire
She’s like moonlight aglow on the wire
Soft in the round corral gentle and light
Then she decides to fight

Chorus:
And all that you are comes down to horses
Old childhood dreams and unexplained forces
Sometimes you’re the bottle that holds lightin’ bolts
But you’ll be a dead man if you don’t quite ridin’ them colts

Verse 2:
One good woman and two little boys
Still its horses that bring you true joy
Now you’re down on your back again perkeset high
Stoned like the look in your eye

Repeat Chorus

Bridge:
Man can you feel that burn in your shoulder
When will you realize that you’re gettin’ older

Final Chorus

Verse 1:
Listen up
I’ve rode this mountain seventy years I’ve been alive
Choked on rocks and rattlesnakes a wonder I’ve survived
Don’t think I haven’t had a bronc like you try me
Ev’rytime he thinks a monster is hidin’ ’round a tree

Chorus 1:
Well the monster’s on your back son better try to understand
The cowboy that you’re fightin’ now was born to this here land
One day you’ll earn your scars and all the fearlessness you lack
Don’t worry ’bout the things that you can’t see
The monster’s on your back

Verse 2:
Now hear this
I’ve rode through howlin’ hell and wind and snow and rain
I am oblivious to misery and pain
That iron in your gizzard it will never go away
So long as you got work to do today

Chorus 2:
And there’s a monster on your back son get your guts up off the trail
We got a job to do I promise we won’t fail
One day you’ll earn your scars and all the fearlessness you lack
Don’t worry ’bout the that ornery Charlais bull
The monster’s on your back

Bridge:
You think that if you buck me off that I won’t get back on
You could stomp me in the ground and I’ll be gone
You think that this old man ain’t tough like he once used to be
Try me one more time and you will see

Final Chorus:
There’s a monster on your back son better start to understand
The cowboy that you’re fightin’ now was born to this here land
One day you’ll earn your scars and all the fearlessness you lack
‘Til then you’re gonna have to trust in me
The monster’s on your back

Verse 1:
It’s hard to imagine at this very place and time
But there are better days ahead
I’ll sing you a song to try to ease your troubled mind
Take you far from this hospital bed
When September comes again this will all be far behind you
And nothin’ out there to remind you

Chorus:
And we’ll saddle up in the golden sun
With miles to ride before the day is done
We’ll bring your Mommy but you won’t need her
We’ll shoot a badger in the Carter Cedars

Verse 2:
It’s hard to believe all of the hell that you have seen
All of the pain you have endured
You’re probably the toughest little boy there’s ever been
You are an army with the Lord
But when September comes again I’m gonna take you by the hand
Do all the things that we have planned

Chorus:
And we’ll saddle up in the golden sun
We’ll trade your pain in on a whole lot of fun
Good things happen to the true believers
We’ll shoot a badger in the Carter Cedars

Bridge:
You been my little shadow since the day you said my name
Until you’re well I’ll be the same

Verse 3:
I’ve never loved someone the way that I love you
I see the world straight through your eyes
I’ll never hurt again the way I’ve hurt for you
I’ll never understand just why
Though September is a long way down this dark and dusty road
And you’ve got such a heavy load

Chorus:
We’ll saddle up in the golden sun
And ride side by side though we will be as one
Mother Nature can be kind if that’s how you treat her
We’ll shoot a badger in the Carter Cedars
We’ll skin a badger in the Carter Cedars

Verse 1:
Of all of my dreams
The one that means the most to me
In a hospital bed
Scared half to death
And all of my life
Goes dark as the night and I finally see
What matters the most
I hold him up close
All of my fears
Runnin’ like tears from the sides of my eyes
He asks, “Daddy what’s wrong?
You been cryin’ so long.”
But all I can say
Is buddy lets lay right here for a while
But I’m dyin’ inside
With nowhere to hide

Chorus:
But the Power of Prayer
Is stronger than fear
It’s deeper than love
Its message is clear
When all hope is lost
And you believe you can’t live any longer
The Power of Prayer is stronger.

Verse 2:
He looks in my eye
I’m not gonna lie to you this isn’t good
Won’t know ’til we’re through
How much we can do
We’ve seen this before
And there’s nothin’ more that I want for your son
Than to keep him alive
But sir my hands are tied

Repeat Chorus

Bridge:
When the question is burning inside of your soul like a light through the dark
Let the answer bring peace to your mind with a voice that you hear in your heart
In your heart

Final Chorus