John Stetson Poet Epic

The Ferryman's Pole, Part 1

I swear by the ferryman’s pole, my soul, the tale I tell is true
And if you have a soul, I pray, the same won’t come to you, Boys
The same won’t come to you

In the West, I say, back in the day of the Talon River crossing
When the Claw came down it tore the ground upon which we’d been standing
I say where we’d been standing

In the rocks and rills of the Shorthorn Hills, the cattlemen they would gather
In the Fall of the year when the river runs clear and cider’s sweet and peaches turned to brandy 
The peaches turned to brandy

Well the Talon River sometimes claws its way through pleasant Springtime
But it mostly flows down sweet and slow and the trout jump in the moonlight
The trout jump in the moonlight

I saddled up with the boys to fetch the cows down from the mountain
To graze down here where there is no fear a freeze will stop the fountain
No freeze to stop the fountain

Where the gentian stands on the gentle sands as white as the driven snow
'Fore winter's blow fills all this land with the icy one we know
The icy one we know

It was Joe and Pete and Slide Whistle Ike and jolly Jew's harp Johnny
And the new fella Bill who didn’t say much and he kept to the rear of the party
Trailing our dear party

Since he joined the crew the Bar D few who threw lariats for their living
He kept to himself and he'd never say much like someone who was hiding
Like something he was hiding

And we never did know where the Boss found Bill when hands was hard to come by
Nor would Bill say where he'd spent his days when he was just a shaver
When just a little shaver

But we didn't think about it much in this business they come and they go
And the pals that stay are the ones you say are ones that you'd fall in with
The ones that you'd fall in with

The ones you'd stick with thick or thin and count on when you need 'em
On whom you count when troubles mount and someone lies a'bleedin'
Someone lies there bleedin'

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