When I Was a Cowboy Songtext
von Ralph McTell

I was a cowboy out on the prairie
Me and my six-gun kept law in the alley
I remember my first horse well, he was lean but a fast one
We travelled miles together, until he got stolen

And the sheriff said get early to bed
And always keep your hat screwed on real tight
Case you get in a fight
Well that′s one of the tricks that you must employ
If you wanna be a cowboy

I travelled far from home, even jumped freight trains
Threw stones in the ocean, slept out in the cold rain
It was down in some southern town, and the music was playing
And the people were talking so loud, they heard no words I was saying


And the sheriff said get early to bed
And always keep your hat screwed on real tight
Case you get in a fight
Well that's one of the tricks that you must employ
If you wanna be a cowboy

I dreamed of a mountain, with one lonesome rider
He was ragged and tattered, and he carried a sabre
And all through the canyon you could hear his bones rattle
He was dead on a dying horse and he was tied to the saddle

And the sheriff said get early to bed
And always keep your hat screwed on real tight
Case you get in a fight
Well that′s one of the tricks that you must employ
If you wanna be a cowboy

I was a cowboy, out on the prairie
My life is easier, back home in the alley

And the sheriff said get early to bed
And always keep your hat screwed on real tight
Case you get in a fight
Well that's one of the tricks that you must employ
If you wanna be a cowboy