Written by Ian Tyson
Verse Am Dm Come all ye brave cow punchers, wherever you may be Am Am My tale is of the nineties, when the west was wild and free G E7 Am South Texas Brewster county, and early work was a goin' on G E7 Am Three thousand head of cattle, thrown together in the dawn Am Dm Now the biggest outfits of that time were Wentworth and Dubois Am Dm Their rep was a man named Gilleland sent to represent their law G Am A man of pride and arrogance, he's oft described that way G E7 Am And he set the wheels in motion for the horror of that day Am Dm Now on that day a yearling bull was claimed by Henry Pogh Am Dm And the roundup boss agreed, said with Henry he should go G Am Fine Gilleland loped over and cried produce the mama cow G E7 Am Or you'll play hell a takin her and we'll settle her here and now Am Dm When Henry Pogh and Gilleland met in the center of the herd Am Dm Tragedy was near at hand though no one could hear their words G Am But when the dust had settled on that January day G E7 Am Henry Pogh was found gunned down; Gilleland rode hard away Am Dm So the boys dragged out the yearling bull, branded murder on his hide Am Dm And January twenty on the maverick's other side G Am Then they turned him loose to wander like some phantom of the plains G E7 Am In Texas on the full of the moon his legend still remains (This last verse is slowed down) F C Out on the lonesome ranges, in the silent mists of dawn F C The ghost steer comes a glidin', then suddenly he's gone F Am Still searchin' for the cowboys that placed a curse upon his hide Dm E7 Am Doomed to roam eternity, murder branded on his hide