Chris Ledoux

[Asmina]

"This Cowboy's Hat"

"This Cowboy's Hat"

Well there's always been groups of people that could never see eye to eye... an' I always thought if they'd get the chance to sit down and talk face to face they might realize they got a lot in common.....

Well I was sittin' in a coffee shop, just havin' a cup to pass the time.
Swappin' rodeo stories with this ole cowboy friend of mine.
When some motor-cycle riders started snickerin' in the back
started pokin' fun at my friend's hat.
One ole boy said "hey Tex, where'd you park your horse?"
My friend just pulled his hat down low, but they couldn't be ignored.
One husky fella said, "I think I'll rip that hat right off your head."
That's when my friend turned around, and this is what he said:

You'll ride a black tornado, 'cross the western sky
Rope an ole blue northern and milk it till it's dry
Bull dawg the Mississippi, pin its ears down flat
Long before you take this cowboy's hat.

Now pardner, this ole hat is better left alone,
She used to be my daddy's, but last year he passed on.
My nephew skinned the Rattler that makes up this ole hatband,
But back in '69 he died in Vietnam.
Now the eagle feather was given to me by an indian friend of mine
But someone ran him down somewhere around that Arizona line
And a real special lady gave me this hat pin
But I don't know if I'll ever see her again.

You'll ride a black tornado, 'cross the western sky
Rope an ole blue northern and milk it till it's dry
Bull dawg the Mississippi, pin its ears down flat
Long before you take this cowboy's hat.

Now if your leather jacket means to you what this hat means to me
Then I guess we understand each other, and we'll just let it be.
But if you still think it's funny, man, you got my back up against the wall.
And if you touch my hat, you're gonna have to fight us all...
Well, right then I caught a little sadness in that gang leader's eyes,
And he turned back t'wards the others and they all just sorta shuffled on outside
But when my friend turned back t'wards me, I noticed his old hat brim
Well it was turned up, in a big ole texas grin

[CHORUS]

 

[Asmina]

"Hobo Dreams"


"Hobo Dreams"



Pouring rain has grounded
All the planes out of Louisville, Kentucky
So I bought me a railway ticket
I had to close a deal in New Orleans
When a hobo by the track
Said he was going to ride the rails to Arizona
I had to fight the tears
That weld up in me

[CHORUS:]
Cause a ragged old hobo
Is really better off than me
He ain't nothing but a hobo
But he's livin' his hobo dreams

I got a brand new car and a house a good 'ol job
In the suburbs of St. Louie
And the woman in the gateway to the west
She made me everything I am
But my three-piece suit is gettin' tight
The walls are closin' in down at the office
Lord I've been too cautious
With all my best laid plans

[CHORUS]

Said son you outta come along and watch
The eagle's fly in Arizona
You'll never see an eagle fly
With neon light reflecting off his wings
As he climbed into the rail car
His last words echoed back like crashing thunder
Lord if I was younger
Well I'd ride me a different train

[CHORUS]

He ain't nothing but a hobo
But he's livin' his hobo dreams

 

[Asmina]

"The Last Cowboy In Town"

"The Last Cowboy In Town"



In a little Texas town at a bar by the rodeo grounds
You can see him ridin' in every Saturday night
Well there ain't no hitchin' post
But his horse has got so old
He'd stay in front of that bar if he stayed all night

He sits on the same 'ol stood
Watchin' the boys play pool
Holdin' a can of Pearl beer in his calloused hand
We don't know how old he is
He never had no wife or kids
But they say he never back down from any man

[CHORUS:]
He once had spurs that jingled jangled
He once had girls that loved to tango
With a handsome young cowboy so long and so tall
Well it's been years but I'm sure he recalls them all

He's never owned a suit
And there's holes in both his boots
And he don't give a damn unless it rains
Well he lives his life that way
But he still recalls the days
When every cowboy in Texas knew his name

And holdin' up his faded jeans
Is a belt we've all seen
It's the only thing he owns that still looks new
He just wears it Saturday night
So that belt buckle still shines bright
It says All Around Cowboy 42

[CHORUS]

Now midnight he's always stoned
And most of the crowd's gone home
And he rides his old horse to the rodeo grounds
Well he closes his eyes and hears
A million rodeo fans cheer
But he don't know he's the last cowboy in town

[CHORUS x3 to fade]

 

[Asmina]

"You Bring Out The Beast In Me"

"You Bring Out The Beast In Me"

Well ... Way down inside every man there's an animal
He's hiding somewhere deep in his soul
Well most of the time, well he's hard to find
And I can keep him under control

But when the sun goes down and the moon comes around
Starts shining down thru the trees
One look in your eyes and it's hello mister hyde
Well you you bring out the beast in me.

Now could it be the moon or maybe your perfume
That affects me the way that it does
Or could it be your eyes in star lit Summer skys
Make this wild man fall in love

I'ed like to play it cool
Don't want to look like a fool
'Cause a man has got to have some dignity
But you go walkin' by and Lord I lose my mind
You bring out the beast in me.

It seems everytime I get myself back together
And I've got him back down where he belongs
I climb down from a tree and get back on my feet
Well that's when you come along.

Then my heart goes to beatin' and my knees start to weaken
And I tremble and I can't hardly breath
Well I can't hold him in 'cause here he comes again
You bring out the beast in me.

 

[Asmina]

"He's A Tryer"

"He's A Tryer"
He's a rider, keeps ridin' all he can 'cause he's a tryer,
Keeps tryin' all he can, 'cause he never seems to know he's had enough.
And it gets rough.
He's been boozin'. He ain't a drunk, he's just forgettin' that he's loosin'.
Forgettin' pain his mind and body feels, and he needs a meal.

[CHORUS:]
He'll keep tryin' 'cause he still recalls the days when it paid off,
When he was winning; you can bet he won a lot more that he lost.
He ain't no quitter, no one can talk him out of movin' on,
'Cause he's a tryer, and he's damn sure, his second chance'll come before to long.

He's a cowboy. He's country bred and strong, yeah, he's a cowboy.
And he'd rather take the pain than face the shame and face the judge deep down inside.
Well it's just pride.
So he'll keep goin', keep tryin' hard to ride instead of throwin'
'Cause he just won't admit he's growing old.
The thought's too cold.

[CHORUS]

Yeah he's a tryer, and he's damn sure, his second chance'll come before to long

 

[Asmina]

"Desperado"

"Desperado"


Desperado, why don't you come to your senses
You been out ridin' fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
But I know that you've got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow

Don't you draw the queen of diamonds boy
She'll beat you, if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
And it seems to me some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get

Desperado, well you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger
They're drivin' you wild.
And Freedom, oh freedom
Well that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking through this world all alone.

Don't your feet get cold in the wintertime
When the sky won't snow and the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the nighttime from the day
You're losin' all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses
Come down from your fences
Open the gate
I know it's rainin'
But there's a rainbow above you.
You better let somebody love you
Before it's too late.

 

[Asmina]

"Busted"

"Busted"
All the bills are all due and the baby needs shoes
But I'm busted
Cotton is down to a quarter a pound
And I'm busted
Got a cow that went dry and a hen that won't lay
A big stack of bills that gets bigger each day
The county's gonna haul my belongings away
And I'm busted

Well I went to brother Bill to get me a loan
I was busted
But I hate to beg like a dog for a bone
I'm busted
Brother Bill said you know there's not a thing I can do
My wife and my kids are all down with the flu
And I was just thinkin' on callin' on you
'Cause I'm busted

Lord I'm no thief but a man can go wrong
When he's busted
The food that we canned last summer's all gone
And I'm busted
All the fields are all bare and the cotton won't grow
Me and my family's got to pack up and go
Where I'll make a livin' the Lord only knows
I'm busted

[CHORUS]

 

[Asmina]

"Red Headed Stranger"

"Red Headed Stranger"

Now the redheaded stranger, from Blue Rock, Montana
Rode into town one day
Between his knees was a raging black stallion
Walkin' behind was a bay
Now the redheaded stranger had eyes like the thunder
His lips were sad and tight
Cause his little lost love lay asleep on the hillside
And his heart was heavy as night

[CHORUS:]
So don't boss him
Don't cross him
He's wild in his sorrow
He's riding and hidin' his pain
Don't fight him
Don't spite him
Just wait 'til tomorrow
Maybe he'll ride on again

Now the yellow-haired lady leaned out of her window
And watched as he passed her away
She drew back at fear at the sight of the stallion
But cast greedy eyes on the bay
But she didn't know that the dancin' bay pony
Meant more to him than life
Cause this was the horse that his little lost darlin'
Had ridden when she was his wife

[CHORUS]

Now the yellow-haired lady went down to the tavern
And looked up the stranger there
When he bought her some drinks, and he gave her some money
But she just didn't seem to care
She followed him out as he saddled the stallion
And he laughed when she grabbed for the bay
Well he shot her so quick, they had no time to warn her
She never heard anyone say

[CHORUS]

Now the yellow-haired lady was buried at sunset
The stranger went free, of course
Cause you can't hang a man for shootin' a woman
Who's tryin' to steal your horse
Now this is the tale of the redheaded stranger
And if he should pass your way
Stay out of the path of the raging black stallion
And don't lay a hand on the bay

 

[Asmina]

"They Couldn't Understand My Cowboy Songs"



"They Couldn't Understand My Cowboy Songs"

I left home with a suitcase my songs and my guitar
Headed down to Nashville gonna try to be a star
The Nashville folks they made me feel like I was right at home
But they couldn't understand my cowboy songs
They said son you've got potential and we'd like to see you stay
But you've gotta change your style cause cowboy songs don't sell these days
I tried my hand at cheatin' heart and cryin' in my beer
And I think about home and wonder what am I doin' here
But I'd really like to thank ya'll for your hospitality
You know I really mean it you've been mighty good to me
But this ol country boy ain't where he's suppose to be
And this Wyoming cowboy don't belong in Nashville Tennessee

Well there's just too many miles and styles between us I suppose
The kind of songs I'm singin' won't fit in down here I know
I kind of got the feeling it was time to move along
When Ed Bruce sang The Last Cowboy Song
So I'm going back to the country where the west is still alive
Where cowboy's ride the prairie and the mountains touch the sky
I pack up my old guitar and I'll be on my way
But before I go I'd just like to say
Well I'd really like to thank...
Well this Wyoming cowboy don't belong in Nashville Tennessee

 

[Asmina]

"It Ain't The Years, It's The Miles"

"It Ain't The Years, It's The Miles"



I walked behind the chute, strapped my spurs to my boots
At that big Rodeo in Cheyenne
Feelin' tired and sore for a ride the day before
And a thousand other rides since I began
As I climbed up the gate I heard that young cowboy sayin'
Well, that ole man ain't gonna ride, and I had to smile
I said son it ain't age that makes me look this way
It ain't the years boy it's the miles
It ain't the years that I've known that have taken their toll
Cause they've been few
If you took all the mashin's the draggin's and the crashin's
You'd probably look the same way I do
It's the million miles of road and gettin' snatched around and throwed
That finally put the cramp in my style it ain't the years boy it's the miles

Went on and made my ride only scored a sixty-five
But you know what really made my day complete
Was when I looked up just in time to see that young cowboy goin' flyin'
And land in a pile at my feet
And as the first aid came to haul him away I said son you'll be
Alright in a little while
He's on his way to findin' out what it's all about
It ain't the years boy it's the miles
It ain't the years that I've known that've taken their toll
Cause they've been few
If you took all the mashin's...
It ain't age that makes me look this way it ain't the years boy it's the miles