Johnson County War

Headed for Wyoming in 1882 A woman, a team and a dragon Gonna make our dreams come true Settled in the foothills of the big, Worn mountain slopes Life was sweet, we lived on the meat of The Deer and the Antelope We cut house logs up on the mountain With a team we hauled 'em down Built and we stacked 'em up [?] some bottom ground Traded for some cattle, Turned them out on the open range Skies were blue but we never knew How things were gonna change Old Powder River, you're muddy And you're wide How many men have died along your shore When you brand a man a rustler, He's gotta take a side There's no middle ground in this Johnson County War When the neighbours stopped by yesterday While I was outside chopping wood To fill me in on the local news Ain't none of it sounded good Said there's been some cattle stealing By some local outlaw band We'd all been branded rustlers By the big ranchers of this land So it's us against the cattle men And the years just made it worse First the drought and then the tough winter Johnson County been dealt a curse Then there came a story about the two [?] Harrisson Jones and John Tisdale, both shot in The back Old Powder River, you're muddy And you're wide How many men have died along your shore When you brand a man a rustler, He's gotta take a side There's no middle ground in this Johnson County War Then last night at supper time Well a rider stopped by chance He said the cattle men, their hired guns Just burned the Casey ranch Two men had died this morning Shot down in the snow Now the vigilante army was on the march to Buffalo Well the county was in an uproar Every man saddled up to ride They got the cattle men at the T.A ranch And surrounded all four sides They [?] the house with bullets Swore they were [?] Then the calvary came from across the plains Once again they saved the day Well they marched them off to Cheyenne No one went to jail The cattle men were all turned loose And their hired guns hit the trail And I guess the only justice Wasn't much to say the least Last winter me and mine ate mighty fine On the cattle burns beef Old Powder River, you're muddy And you're wide How many men have died along your shore When you brand a man a rustler, He's gotta take a side No middle ground in this Johnson County War There's no middle ground in this Johnson County War