The ranch on which I hang my hat, though short on most the frills,
Is thirteen sections, give or take, of Texas' rollin' hills.
It's been my home an' why I chose to bring my family here,
Amongst the cattle, sheep an' goats; the varmits, hogs an' deer.
It's done right well in nature's care, withstood her angry rage,
Survived extremes of drought an' flood: an' made me earn my wage.
The land has taught me what I know, that livin' life's an art,
That all you need is common sense, a plan an' gentle heart.
Today I watched the breakin' dawn an' whiffed the mornin' air,
A time I often set aside for things like thought an' prayer.
A Mockin'bird an' Mornin' Dove, an' other birds at play,
Were there to sing an' set the mood to start another day.
This mornin' saw the strangest thing, like time itself had merged,
An' all the souls who once were here, appeared an' them converged.
In swirlin' clouds of mist an' fog, right off the bluffs they rolled,
Til all had gathered in the glen, the modern an' the old.
The Indians, conquistadors, an' other ancient men,
The soldiers from this country's wars, an' cowboys from back then;
They all had come from yesterday to help me understand,
The roles that people play in life, to heritage an' land.
A crazy notion, so I thought, that they could just appear,
But let me tell ya' something now, the concept soon got clear.
When we rode out, like other days, to do the things we do,
I'as still the cowboy that I was, but something else was new.
The wagon roads of long ago, still evident today,
Are carved in rock an' rutted earth, not apt to wash away.
They linked the missions, forts an' towns those many years gone by;
An' left their mark for all to see, as modern times grew nigh.
The artifacts an' weathered ruins attest to yesterdays,
When others came an' lived their lives in very different ways.
We've seen their skill in arrowheads they honed from fired stone,
An' craftsmanship in beads an' tools they fashioned out of bone.
At ever turn and trail we take is something to remind,
The Maker used a clump of dirt creatin' humankind.
The Earth's been feedin' all of us a half-a-million years,
An' used it's wonder, force an' truth to challenge pioneers.
I do not know if they'll return or if I'll fill their needs
But I'm rigged-up to ride the trail, no matter where it leads.
I'm just a spirit ridin' time, whose body's born of Earth,
An' feel it's time I took the reins an' offered-up my worth.
The land has been the heritage we cultivate an' reap,
The life has been the legacy our pride has fought to keep,
An' we are bound throughout our time, with those who came before,
To give our hearts and souls to it, and make it something more.
