The Lone Cowboy

The lone cowboy on his steed
Rode hard and fast into the night
Coated with dust, tired and parched
He had to reach before the light

A promise made, a tear shed
He went West seeking gold
He said he had to provide
For her and their one year old

"I'll return 'ere Nat's next birthday,
Or consider me gone and dead"
But he had no idea what she would
Go through the year ahead

The wells went dry, the grain ran out
The town wept blood, as the drought hit hard
Of all the deals Fate had dealt
The poor souls picked the lowest card

Lil Nat, soft and weak
Nature's wrath he could not bear
His daddy missed a last look
And the heart-wrenching final prayer

Bad news travels fast, they say
But it was two months before he knew
By then he'd earned as many bars of gold
As the twelve men he slew

He sped towards the broken town
'Cause his love was on her deathbed too
She slipped a little into death
With every ragged breath she drew

He arrived along with the rising sun
Her eyes were closed, but she heard him say
His voice catching in his throat
"Please don't leave me, don't go away!"

They laid her beside her Nat
Mother and Son together once more
The heavens showered their blessings
As the skies began to pour

Still alive, he is
But heartbroken and old
No loving wife, no worthy son
Just a pile of blood-stained gold....