Oh, days whoop by with swingin' lope And days slip by a-sleepin', And days must drag, with lazy rope, Along the trail a-creepin'. Heeya-a! you cattle; drift away! Heeyow! the slow hoofs sift away And sunny dust clouds lift away, Along the trail a-creepin'. My pard may sing of sighin' love And I of roarin' battle, But all the time we sweat and shove And follow up the cattle. Heeya-a! the bawlin' crowd of you! Heeyow the draggin' cloud of you! We're glad and gay and proud of you, We men that follow cattle! But all the world's a movin' herd Where men drift on together, And some may spur and some are spurred, But most are horns and leather! Heeya-a! the rider sings along, Heeyow! the reined hawse swings along And drifts and drags and flings along The mob of horns and leather. The outlaws fight to break away; The weak and lame are crawlin', But only dead ones quit the play, The dust-cloud and the bawlin'. Heeya-a! it's grief and strife to us; Heeyow! it's child and wife to us; By leap or limp, it's life to us; The dust-cloud and the bawlin'. Some dream ahead to pastures green, Some stare ahead to slaughter, But, anyway, night drops between And brings us rest and water. Heeya-a! you cattle, drift away! Heeyow! the dust-clouds lift away; The glarin' miles will shift away And leave us rest and water. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE LAMP OF LIFE by AMY LOWELL REVELATION by LOUIS UNTERMEYER ART ABOVE NATURE: TO JULIA by ROBERT HERRICK HYMN TO INTELLECTUAL BEAUTY by PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY THE SODA-WATER SLOT-MACHINE by BELLA AKHMADULINA THE SISTERS by MARY REYNOLDS ALDIS |