Unknown - Night Riders Lament Lyrics

NIGHT RIDER'S LAMENT

(G) C F / C G G7 / F G7 C / G G7 C
F C F C / F G7 C / F G7 C F C F / G7 C

Last night as I was riding
Graveyard shift, midnight to dawn,
Oh, the moon was as bright as a reading light
For a letter from an old friend back home.

He asked me, "Why do you ride for your money?
Why do you rope for short pay?
You ain't gettin' nowhere and you're loosing your share - -
Oh, you must have gone crazy out there."

He said, "Last night I run into Jenny;
She's married and has a good life.
Oh, you sure missed the track when you never come back;
She's the perfect professional's wife.
She asked me, 'Why does he ride for his money?
Why does he rope for short pay?
He ain't gettin' nowhere and he's loosing his share.
Oh, he must have gone crazy out there.' "

But they've never seen the Northern Lights.
Never seen the hawk on the wing.
Never seen the spring hit the great divide - -
No, they've never heard old camp cookie sing.

Well, I read up the last of the letter.
I tore off the stamp for Black Jim.
And Billy come by to relieve me;
Just looked at my letter and grinned.

He said, "They ask you why do you ride for your money?
Why do you rope for short pay?
You ain't gettin' nowhere and you're loosing your share - -
Oh, you must have gone crazy out there."
But they've never seen the Northern Lights.
Never seen the hawk on the wing.
Never seen the spring hit the great divide - -
No, they've never heard old camp cookie sing.

--------------------------
Words and music by Mike Burton, copyright 1975 Groper Music, Inc.

Recorded on Fashioned in the Clay, FSI-104, 1985, Gordon Bok, Ann
Mayo Muir, and Ed Trickett. Also recorded earlier by Jerry Jeff
Walker with a yodel at the end. It's a nice statement about
different strokes for different folks with a little bite to it.