Melodi: Ukendt - Tekst: Ukendt
My home's in Montana,
I wear a bandana,
my spurs are silver,
my horse is a bay,
I took to cardplay in
the house I was staying,
got shot through the bowels
and you see where I lay.
Let sixteen gamblers
lay a hand on my coffin,
let sixteen cowboys
come carry me along,
and take me to the graveyard,
and lay the sod o'er me,
I'm just a young cowboy
and I know I done wrong!
Go gather around you
a crowd of young cowboys,
and tell them the story
of this my sad fate,
tell one and the other,
before they go further,
to stop their wild roving
before it's too late.
It was once in the saddle
that I would go dashing,
'I was once in the saddle
that I would go gay,
first to the card house
and then to the dram house,
got shot in the bowels
and you see where I lay.
Then drag your rope slowly
and rattle your spurs lowly,
and give a wild whoop
as you carry me along,
and take me to Boot Hill
and cover me with roses,
I'm just a young cowboy
and I know I done wrong!
'Cowboyens klagesang' er blot en i den lange række varianter af 'The Unfortunate Rake '. Med samme tema som den måske mere kendte 'As l Walked Out lnThe Streets Of Laredo' skildrer sangen den uheldige cowboys nedtur fra kortspil til drukture, til han nu ligger der med et par kugler i maven, døden nær. Samtidig er det en advarsel til hans fæller om at standse deres vilde liv, inden det erfor sent.