Monday, September 18, 2017

COYOTES - DON EDWARDS





Was a cowboy I knew in south Texas,
His face was burnt deep by the sun,
Part history, part sage, part mesquit,
He was there when Poncho Villa was young.
And he'd tell you a tale of the old days,
When the country was wild all around,
Sit out under the stars of the Milky Way,
And listen while the coyotes howl.
And they go... hoo yip hoo yip hoo
hoodi hoo di yip hoo di yip hoo
hoo yip hoo yip hoo
hoo di hoo di yip hoo di yip hoo

Now the long horns are gone,
And the drovers are gone,
The Comanches are gone,
And the outlaws are gone,
Geronimo is gone,
And Sam Bass is gone,
And the lion is gone,
And the red wolf is gone.

Well he cursed all the roads and the oil men,
And he cursed the automobile,
Said this is no place for an hombre like I am,
In this new world of asphalt and steel.
Then he'd look off some place in the distance,
At something only he could see,
He'd say all that's left now of the old days,
Those damned old coyotes and me.
And they go hoo yip hoo yip hoo
hoodi hoo di yip hoo di yip hoo
hoo yip hoo yip hoo
hoo di hoo di yip hoo di yip hoo

Now the long horns are gone,
And the drovers are gone
The Comanches are gone
And the outlaws are gone,
Now Quantro is gone,
Stan Watie is gone
And lion is gone,
And the red wolf is gone.

One morning they searched his adobe,
He disappeared without even a word,
But that night as the moon crossed the mountain,
One more coyote was heard.
And he'd go, hoo yip hoo yip hoo
hoodi hoo di yip hoo di yip hoo
hoo yip hoo yip hoo
hoo di hoo di yip hoo di yip hoo
hoo yip hoo yip hoo
hoodi hoo di yip hoo di yip hoo
hoo yip hoo yip hoo
hoo di hoo di yip hoo di yip hoo

6 comments:

FrontRanger said...

A poetic compilation / reflection for the loss of less comlex times and the romanticism with what use to be for sure. Even though the coyote is seen as the trickster in native lore, the canid is essential to the west. Good by Sir Don.

Douglas E said...

Right on FR. I first heard the song at the conclusion of Grizzly Man - a documentary about borderline wacko Timothy Treadwell who was determined to protect Alaska's grizzlies and was killed by one.

Clure G. Mann said...

Of lions and tigers and bears, bears have killed more trainers than the other two.

Douglas E said...

Trainers - but what about in the wild? In the US? Cows, bees and dogs are up there!!

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-animals-most-likely-to-kill-americans-2015-6

Clure G. Mann said...

Don't know about the wild, but have heard the lowly mosquito kills more humans than any other creature. Trainers probably become more trusting of bears than lions and tigers. For starters, you must always keep your eyes in sight of the bear's eyes. I worked at a zoo one summer and was caretaker of three Black Bear cubs. One day I stood in the moat in front of one of the cubs and turned my head away to look at him out of the corner of my right eye. He would then move to the left out of sight. When I turned slightly to get him back in sight, he would again move out of sight. When I did not turn to get him back in sight, he thought it was safe to sneak up behind and take a swat (playful?) at me.

Douglas E said...

Interesting info CGM. About the mosquitoes, I am guessing that it's not the bugs per se but rather the diseases carried by the creatures.