Seventeen

Spoken Word)

When he was five years old his mom
Took him down to the round corral
To watch his dad work the young horse
They called Smokey

Man, did that horse buck but his old dad, he just sat up there
And rode him like there's was nothin' to it
And right then the boy gained a whole new respect for the man
And from that day on he knew that
When he grew up he wanted to be a cowboy

A[D]t seventeen a cowboys'[A] dreams ain't on fixin' f[G]ences
[D]Once he's seen 'em ride in old[A] Cheyenne            [G]
[D]Ranch routine and his old man's s[A]chemes this ain't where his he[G]art is
[D]But you know his daddy under[A]stands            [G]

When noonday comes father and son
Sit down and eat their dinner beneath that big Wyoming sky
His daddy knows he's gotta let him go
The boy can't be a winner if he don't spread his wings and fly

[Bm]And in his mind [A]he's riding bulls down i[G]n Las Vegas
[Bm]Soon he'll be on a [A]trail that leads to S[G]anta Fe
[D]The sweet voice of freedom ech[A]oes down th[G]e ages
[D]And calls another cowboy on h[A]is way               [G]

Well, the fencings done and the morning sun finds him packed and ready
Momma kissed his cheek and then she went inside
His old man, well, he shook his hand said, "Son you ride 'em pretty"
Didn't see the tears that his momma cried

And in his mind he's riding bulls down in Las Vegas
Today he's on a trail that leads to Santa Fe
The sweet voice of freedom echoes down the ages
And calls another cowboy on his way