The Ride

I was six years old, my brother was ten One July day came running in, Seen a ferris wheel at the edge of town So, of course, we headed on down Well it took us an hour to walk that far Carrying our fortune in a Mason jar It was all pretty sad, a cheap county fair With a few old rides but there was plenty of us there Well, the ponies stunk and the air was still In that dusty circle behind the ferris wheel This old guy smelling of smoke and rum Swung me up and sat me down on one Well I'd never rode a horse but I'd seen it done Cowboy movies made it look like fun This old man whispered a few soft words It was the best advice I've ever heard He said "Sit tall in the saddle, Hold your head up high Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky And live like you ain't afraid to die And don't be scared, just enjoy your ride" I went up a kid with shaking hands And I came down a full grown man It was like he'd cast some Voodoo spell Things were different for me now, I could tell 'Cause whenever troubles come wandering in His rhyme would pop in my head again And somehow I rode through the needles and nails Brambles and thorns that life entails Well I know some day farther down the road I'll come to the edge of the great unknown There'll stand a black horse riderless And I wonder if I'm ready for this So I'll saddle him up and he'll switch his tail And I'll tip my hat and bid fairwell And lift my song into the air That I learned at that dusty fair "Sit tall in the saddle, Hold your head up high Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky And live like you ain't afraid to die And don't be scared, just enjoy your ride" Now don't be scared, just enjoy your ride