The Ballad of Wiley Post & Will Rogers

Wiley Post was born in Grand Salinas, Texas

Round about 1898

Saw his first aircraft at 15

flying man would be his fate

end of the great war, discharged

couldn't find a job for hire

served hard time for borrowing a t-model ford

then summer parachuting with the topnotch flyers

lost a left eye in the oil rig

lawsuit with the company to pay

bought a fixed winged aircraft

named her Winnie mae

post was a natural born flyer

pushed her hard, that winnie mae

once fixed the prop with a wrench and his bare hand

flew around the world in just 8 days

He landed at Roosevelt airfield

A 1-eyed man his fans had to greet

In new york, a ticker tape parade

50,000 people in the street

Wiley post and will rogers

took off for the great north

Alaska to Russia was folly they said

but no one had flown it so they ventured forth

wiley my boy I think that we can make it

tonight we'll have a warm bed and fuel indeed

they pushed on north but the plane couldn't take it

plunged into the cold dark sea

Wiley Post was born in Grand Salinas, Texas

Round about 1898

Saw his first aircraft at 15

Dying as a flying man would be his fate