Windy Bill Songtext
von Tom Rush

Windy Bill was a Texas man
Well, he could rope, you bet
He swore the steer he couldn′t tie
Well, he hadn't found him yet
But the boys they knew of an old black steer
A sort of an old outlaw
That ran down in the malpais
At the foot of a rocky draw

This old black steer had stood his ground
With punchers from everywhere
So they bet old Bill at two to one
That he couldn′t quite get there
Then Bill brought out his old gray hoss
His withers and back were raw
And prepared to tackle the big black brute
That ran down in the draw


With his Brazos bit and his Sam Stack tree*
His chaps and taps to boot
And his old maguey tied hard and fast
Bill swore he'd get the brute
Now, first Bill sort of sauntered round
Old Blackie began to paw
Then threw his tail straight in the air
And went driftin' down the draw

The old gray plug flew after him
For he′d been eatin′ corn
And Bill, he piled his old maguey
Right round old Blackie's horns
The old gray hoss he stopped right still
The cinches broke like straw
And the old maguey and the Sam Stack tree
Went driftin′ down the draw

Bill, he lit in a flint rock pile
His face and hands was scratched
He said he thought he could rope a snake
But he guessed he'd met his match
He paid his bets like a little man
Without a bit of jaw
And ′lowed old Blackie was the boss
Of anything in the draw


There's a moral to my′ story, boys
And that you all must see
Whenever you go to tie a snake
Don't tie it to your tree
But take your dolly welters
'Cordin′ to California law
And you′ll never see your old rim-fire
Go drifting down the draw