Lyrics

Goodnight Cowboy
Drew James © 2007

He made his bed by the roadside
Where he dreamed his American dreams
His boots once of shiny black leather
Were now coming apart at the seams

The coyote howls in the distance
Were closer than ever before
Completely surrounding his position
No place seemed safe anymore

Goodnight cowboy, goodnight
Ride like the wind reach high like the eagle
Above the hills and the treetops to the brown dusty plains
Your saddlebags empty of gold and of silver
As the autumn sun bows to the oncoming rain
You must search for the hopes of tomorrow

Wrapped in a circle of darkness
Feeling so tired and alone
The promise of a brave hero’s welcome
Was the lone star above him that shone

His rifle was loaded with questions
His enemy’s straw men in rags
His orders read “It’s all or nothing”
His defense worn thin as his flag

(Chorus)

He stared at the moon and he wondered
Which way he came down this road
His past was unclear as his future
Clouded by the lies he was told

For all his commanders and generals
Thought truth paved the road to defeat
So when war began claiming its victims
Truth was the first one to bleed

They claimed he was felled by the enemy
And they buried the evidence well
But you can’t keep truth long a secret
Cause time will eventually tell

(Chorus)