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 TOMB AT AKR CAAR by EZRA POUND THE BATTLEFIELD by EMILY DICKINSON IN THE SHADOWS: MY EPITAPH by DAVID GRAY (1838-1861) AN OLD WOMAN (2) by MOTHER GOOSE SONGS by RICHARD HENRY STODDARD MARECHAL NIEL by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH LOST TREASURE by MATHILDE BLIND SONGS OF MIRZA SCHAFFY, SELECTION by FRIEDRICH MARTIN VON BODENSTEDT |