Murder Steer

Am                                               Dm
Come all ye brave cow punchers, wherever you may be
Am                                                     Am
My tale is of the nineties, when the west was wild and free
      G                          E7                     Am
South Texas Brewster county, and early work was a goin' on
      G                               E7              Am
Three thousand head of cattle, thrown together in the dawn

Am                                                      Dm
Now the biggest outfits of that time were Wentworth and Dubois
Am                                                          Dm
Their rep was a man named Gilleland sent to represent their law
  G                                                   Am
A man of pride and arrogance, he's oft described that way
    G                                   E7             Am
And he set the wheels in motion for the horror of that day

Am                                                   Dm
Now on that day a yearling bull was claimed by Henry Pogh
Am                                                      Dm
And the roundup boss agreed, said with Henry he should go
     G                                                Am
Fine Gilleland loped over and cried produce the mama cow
   G                                      E7                  Am
Or you'll play hell a takin her and we'll settle her here and
now

Am                                                     Dm
When Henry Pogh and Gilleland met in the center of the herd
Am                                                      Dm
Tragedy was near at hand though no one could hear their words
    G                                         Am
But when the dust had settled on that January day
G                                 E7                  Am
Henry Pogh was found gunned down; Gilleland rode hard away

Am                                                               Dm
So the boys dragged out the yearling bull, branded murder on his
hide
Am                                         Dm
And January twenty on the maverick's other side
     G                                                        Am
Then they turned him loose to wander like some phantom of the
plains
   G                                 E7           Am
In Texas on the full of the moon his legend still remains
(This last verse is slowed down)
F                                                  C
Out on the lonesome ranges, in the silent mists of dawn
F                                                   C
The ghost steer comes a glidin', then suddenly he's gone
      F                                                      Am
Still searchin' for the cowboys that placed a curse upon his
hide
Dm                              E7             Am
Doomed to roam eternity, murder branded on his hide