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