“The Cowboy Trail”
Author: unknown
Earliest date: c. 1931 (recording, Buell Kazee)
Found in: US(Ap)
Description
Singer, a cowboy, comes to an Indian village; they welcome him. He meets a girl; they ride the trail together, courting as they go. A war party overtakes them, taking the girl and leaving him wounded. She returns; he asks her to bury him by the trail
Long description
Singer, a cowboy, takes lonely trail to an Indian village, where they welcome him. He meets a girl; she waits for him out on the trail and they ride off together, courting as they go. As they approach a ranch, a war party overtakes them, taking the girl and leaving him wounded. She returns; he tells her he is dying, and asks her to bury him by the trail so that she may mourn for him
Recordings
- Buell Kazee, "The Cowboy Trail" (Brunswick 481, c. 1931; rec. 1929; on WhenIWas2, KMM)
The Traditional Ballad Index is copyright ©2008
by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.
The Digital Tradition is copyright The Mudcat Cafe.