Come all ye brave cow punchers wherever you may be
My tale is of the 90s when the west was wild and free
South Texas,
Brewster County and early work was a-goin' on
Three thousand head of cattle thrown together in the dawn
Now the biggest outfits of that time were Wentworth and DuBois
Their rep was a man named Gilliland set to represent their law
A man of pride and arrogance he's oft described that way
And he set the wheels in motion for the horror of that day
Now on that day a yearling bull was claimed by Henry Poe
And the roundup boss agreed and said well Henry he should go
Find Gilliland loped over try and produce the mama cow
Or you'll play hell a-taking her and we'll settle her here and now
When Henry Poe and Gilliland met in the center of the herd
Tragedy was near at hand no one could hear their words
But when the dust had settled on that January day
Henry Poe was found gunned down Gilliland rode hard away
So the boys dragged out the yearling bull branded murder on his hide
A January 20 on the Maverick's other side
Then they turned him loose to wander like some
phantom of the plains In Texas on the fold of the moon his legend
still remains
Howl in the lonely
ranges in the silent mists of dawn
The ghost deer comes a-gliding
and suddenly he's gone
Still searching for the cowboys a place to curse upon his hide
A doomed to roam eternity murder branded on his hide