Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ROY BEAN, by ANONYMOUS



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ROY BEAN, by                    
First Line: "cowboys, come and hear a story of roy bean in all his glory"
Last Line: Which concludes this very interesting song
Subject(s): "bean, Roy (1852-1903);judges;


Cowboys, come and hear a story of Roy Bean in all his glory,
"All the law West of the Pecos," was his line:
You must let our ponies take us, to a town on Lower Pecos
Where the High Bridge spans the canon thin and fine.
He was born one day near Toyah where he learned to be a lawyer
And a teacher and a barber for his fare,
He was cook and old shoe mender, sometimes preacher and bar-tender:
It cost two bits to have him cut your hair.
He was certain sure a hustler and considerable a rustler
And at mixing up an egg nog he was grand
He was lively, he was merry, he could drink a Tom and Jerry,
On occasion at a round-up took a hand.
You may find the story funny, but once he had no money
Which for him was not so very strange and rare,
And he went to help Pap Wyndid but he got so absent minded,
That he put his RB brand on old Pap's steer.
Now Pap was right smart angry so Roy Bean went down to Langtry
Where he opened up an office and a store
There he'd sell you drinks or buttons or another rancher's muttons,
Though the latter made the other feller sore.
Once there came from Austin city a young dude reputed witty
Out of Bean he thought he'd quickly take a rise:
And he got frisky as he up and called for whiskey
And he said to Bean, "Now hurry, dam your eyes."
On the counter threw ten dollars and it very quickly follers
That the bar-keep took full nine and gave back one,
Then the stranger give a holler as he viewed his single dollar,
And at that commenced the merriment and fun.
For the dude he slammed the table just as hard as he was able
That the price of whiskey was too high he swore.
Said Roy Bean, "Cause of your fussin' and your most outrageous cussin'
You are fined the other dollar by the law.
On this place I own a lease, sir, I'm the justice of the peace, sir,
And the Law west of the Pecos all is here,
For you've acted very badly," then the stranger went off sadly
While down his cheek there rolled a bitter tear.
Then one day they found a dead man who had been in life a Red man
So it's doubltess he was nothing else than bad.
Called on Bean to view the body, so he took a drink of toddy
Then he listed all the things the dead man had.
Now the find it was quite rare, oh, for he'd been a "cosinero"
And his pay day hadn't been so far away,
He'd a bran new fine white Stetson and a dandy Smith and Wesson
And a bag of forty dollars jingled gay.
Said Roy Bean, "You'll learn a lesson for I see a Smith and Wesson
And to carry implements of war is wrong,
So I fine you forty dollar," and the man gave ne'er a holler
Which concludes this very interesting song.





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