LITTLE JOE THE WRANGLER
Recorded by Marty Robbins
CAPO: 3RD FRET/KEY: F/PLAY: D
[D] Little Joe, The Wrangler, will [G] wrangle nevermore
His [D] days with the roundup, they are [A7] o'er
Was a [D] year ago last April, when he [G] rode into our camp
Just a [D] little Texas [A7] stray and nothin' [D] more.
Was late in the ev'nin', when he [G] rode into our camp
On a [D] little Texas pony, he called [A7] Chaw
With his [D] brogan shoes and overalls, a [G] tougher lookin' kid
You [D] never in your [A7] life before, had [D] saw.
His [G] saddle was a Texas 'kack' built [D] many years ago
An O.K. spur on one foot, lightly [A7] swung
With his [D] pack rolled in a cotton sack, so [G] loosely tied behind
And a [D] canteen from his [A7] saddle horn, was [D] slung.
He said he had to leave his home, his [G] pa had married twice
His [D] new ma whipped him every day or [A7] two
So he [D] saddled up old Chaw one night and [G] "lit a shuck" this way
He [D] said he'd try to [A7] paddle his own can-[A7] oe.
He'd [G] said if we would give him work, he'd [D] do the best he could
Tho' he didn't know straight up, about a [A7] cow
So the [D] Boss, he cut him out a mount and [G] kindly put him on
He [D] sorta liked this [A7] little kid, some-[D] how.
He learned to wrangle horses and [G] learned to know them all
And [D] get them in at daybreak, if he [A7] could
And to [D] trail the old chuck wagon and [G] always hitch the team
And [D] help the "cookie" [A7] ev'nin's - rustle [D] wood.
We had [G] hardly reached the Pecos, the [D] weather it was fine
We were camped down on the south side, in a [A7] draw
When a [D] 'Norther' commenced blowin' and we [G] doubled up our guard
It took [D] ev'ryone of [A7] us, to hold them [D] in.
Little Joe, The Wrangler, was [G] called out with the rest
Scarcely [D] had the little fellow reached the [A7] herd
When the [D] cattle, they stampeded, like a [G] hail storm on, they fled
And [D] ev'ryone was [A7] ridin' for the [D] lead.
A-[G] mid the streaks of lightnin', there was [D] one horse up ahead
He was tryin' to catch the leader in their [A7] speed
It was [D] Little Joe, The Wrangler, with a [G] slicker o'er his head
He was [D] ridin' old Blue [A7] Rocket in the [D] lead.
At last, we got them millin' and [G] kinda quieted down
And the [D] extra guards, back to the wagon, [A7] went
But [D] there was one a-missin', you could [G] see it, at a glance
Was our [D] little Texas [A7] stray, poor wrangler [D] Joe.
Next [G] mornin', just at daybreak, we [D] found where Rocket fell
Down in a washout, twenty feet be-[A7] low
Be-[D] neath his horse, his life was gone, his [G] spur had rung its knell
Was our [D] little Texas [A7] stray, poor wrangler [D] Joe.
SOURCE: Marty Robbins-More Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs/Columbia
CS-8272
