Songs of the Cowboys (1921)/The Mule-Skinners

by N. Howard Thorp

THE MULE-SKINNERS

Got this song from John Caldwell, at Lake Valley, New Mexico. He was bronco-buster for S.L.C. outfit.

In readin’ the story of early days, it’s a cause of much personal pain
At the way the author-men leave out us in charge of the wagon train;
Granted the rest of ’em worked and fit in the best way that they could do —
If it was n’t for us that skinned the mules, how would the bunch have come through?

We have frosted ourselves on the prairie sweeps a-bringin’ the Sioux to book,
And the sojer men never had no kick that the front rank had been forsook;
They cussed warm holes in the blizzard’s teeth when waitin’ fer grub and tents,
But the comforts of home we allus brung though at times at our expense.

We have sweated and swore in the desert land where the white sand glares like snow,
A-rompin’ around forty rods from hell playin’ tag with Geronimo;
We larruped the jacks when the bullets flew and then when ’t was gettin’ too hot,
We used for our breastworks mules, dead mules, and we give ’em back shot for shot.

We never was rigged up purty, of course, and we did n’t talk too perlite,
But we brung up the joltin’ wagon train to the trail end of every fight;
We made a trail through the hostile lands and our whip was the victory’s key,
So why in the name of all that’s fair can’t we figger in history?