Night Rider's Lament

While I was out a-ridin' The graveyard shift midnight till dawn The moon was as bright as a reading light For a letter from an old friend back home He asked me Why do you ride for your money? Why do you rope for short pay? You ain't gettin' nowhere And you're losin' your share You must've gone crazy out there He said last night I ran into Jenny They married and have a good life Oh, you sure missed the track when you never came back She made the perfect professional's wife She asked me Why do you ride for your money? Why do you rope for short pay? You ain't gettin' nowhere And you're losin' your share You must've gone crazy out there They've never seen the northern lights Never seen a hawk on the wing Never seen the spring hit the Great Divide Oh, they never heard old Camp Cookie sing I read up the last of my letter And tore off the stamp for Black Jim Little Dougie rode up to relieve me He just looked at my letter and grinned He asked me Why do they ride for their money? Why do they rope for short pay? They ain't gettin' nowhere And they're losin' their share They all must be crazy out there They've never seen the northern lights Never seen a hawk on the wing Never seen the spring hit the Great Divide Oh, they never heard old Camp Cookie sing