CW’s ORIGINAL
SONGS
FROM
NEVADA
SONGSTER
Lyrics with Chords
For Original Songs
by C.W. Bayer
Carson City, Nevada
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
1
CAUSE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS TURN A BUCKAROO BLUE .................................................. 4
DON’T GO DANCIN SPORTIN YOUR SPURS ........................................................................... 5
THE COWTOWN BALL ................................................................................................................. 6
PASSIN THRU ................................................................................................................................ 7
SIGHIN, CRYIN, LYIN, DIEIN FOR YOU ................................................................................... 8
LOUIE THE HORSE ...................................................................................................................... 9
AT THE COWCAMP JAMBOREE .............................................................................................. 10
CARSON CITY SERENADE ........................................................................................................ 11
L-U-V SPELLS LOVE ................................................................................................................... 12
RIDIN THE THUNDERSTORM’S LIGHT ................................................................................ 13
BOBCAT IN THE BUNCH ........................................................................................................... 14
DESERT DINAH ........................................................................................................................... 15
DON’T FALL DOWN A MINE SHAFT ...................................................................................... 16
PICK AX PETE’S COLLECTORS TRADING POST ................................................................. 17
HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT HORACE ......................................................................................... 18
JACK DONNELL .......................................................................................................................... 19
GIVE ME BACK NEVADA’S MOON .......................................................................................... 20
COLONEL BOOKER’S NEW VOLCANIC BRASS CALLIOPE ............................................... 21
CAMPIN IN NEVADA TONIGHT ............................................................................................... 22
I’ll Wait For You In Carson City .................................................................................................. 23
THE DESERT LETTER ............................................................................................................... 24
MCGRAW’S GUN ......................................................................................................................... 26
BLACK POWER IN THE CROCK ............................................................................................... 27
AIN’T NONE OF THEM COPPERHEADS HERE.................................................................... 28
CAUSE HER MAMA..................................................................................................................... 29
HIGH FLYIN DADDY .................................................................................................................. 30
THE V&T’S BACK IN TOWN AGAIN ........................................................................................ 31
WHEN IT’S RAGTIME IN NEVADA ......................................................................................... 32
COMSTOCK ANNIE ..................................................................................................................... 33
AT THE COWCAMP JAMBOREE .............................................................................................. 34
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
2
CAUSE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS TURN A BUCKAROO BLUE ................................................ 35
SHE AIN’T CALLED SADIE NO MORE ................................................................................... 36
CARSON CITY SERENADE ........................................................................................................ 37
GIVE ME BACK NEVADA’S MOON .......................................................................................... 38
HAVE YOU SEEN THE DAMSEL WHO STOLE MY CHECKERED PANTS ....................... 39
DON’T GO DANCIN SPORTIN YOUR SPURS ......................................................................... 40
SOMEONE CUT THE SHOE TREE DOWN .............................................................................. 41
PICKIN ON THE BANJO BY THE OLD STEAM TRAIN ........................................................ 42
TWILIGHT ON THE SAGEBRUSH ........................................................................................... 43
THE QUEEN OF THE INTERSTATE ........................................................................................ 44
GOT NO LOVIN NOW .................................................................................................................. 45
GONNA KEEP ME WARM SOME RAINY DAY ........................................................................ 46
THE ROLLIN BLUES................................................................................................................... 47
COMSTOCK ANNIE ..................................................................................................................... 48
GOT A GAL NAMED JANE RIDIN BY MY SIDE ..................................................................... 49
TALKIN THRU YER HAT ............................................................................................................ 50
ME AND THE BLUES .................................................................................................................. 51
THE JOKER AND THE JACK ..................................................................................................... 52
Aunt Sally Took The Mine Tour ................................................................................................... 53
At the Nevada Day Parade ................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Gotta Kiss Your Love Good-bye......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
3
CAUSE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS TURN A BUCKAROO BLUE
A
Used to be a cowpoke ridin around,
A7
Out where nothin but the coyotes sound.
D
A C#dim D9 Ebdim
Now I'm driftin like the hobos do,
E7
D7
A
Adim E7
Cause the bright lights turn a buckaroo blue.
Sittin on a stoop and the car horns blow,
Stop sign's red and the gamblers slow,
I'm lookin for that pebble in my shoe,
Cause the bright lights turn a buckaroo blue.
D
Dm
A
F#m
Midnight, star bright, don't seem to show.
B7
E7/
Reno town, foolin round,
big neon glow.
High desert moon, rodeo queen,
Fill my cup with a western dream.
Tell me stories, make em wild and true,
Cause the bright lights turn a buckaroo blue.
Had me a shack in cottonwood shade,
Jackrabbit dancin as the sunset fades.
Now I'm workin at a job that's new,
Cause the bright lights turn a buckaroo blue.
One armed bandit, shakin my right,
Jukebox, whiskey, and a two-bit fight.
Get me goin, call the jailhouse crew,
Cause the bright lights turn a buckaroo blue.
Just a five cent drifter in a two dollar town
Drink all night and then fall down
Ain’t one chance I’ll ever get a clue
Cause the bright lights turn a buckaroo blue
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
4
DON’T GO DANCIN SPORTIN YOUR SPURS
The yodel:
AAAA
DDDD
AAEE
AAAA
A
You got your ten gallon hat, got your pointy pointy boots,
E
Got your fringy jacket, got your rooty toot toot.
A
Got your line about Texas but I wanna tell you sir,
E
A
Don't go dancin sportin your spurs.
D
A
Don't go dancin sportin your spurs,
E
that ringle jingle jangle ain't my kind of words.
A
wanna get close, make the cowgirls purr,
E
A
don't go dancin sportin your spurs.
Got your four wheel truck, got your gun up on the rack
Got your silver buckle, got your tools in back.
Got your six pack partner, easy on the curves,
Don't go dancin sportin your spurs.
Don’t go…
Got your big bay horse, got your saddle in the barn
Got that old lariat, got me hangin on your arm.
Got your yippeeodelayeeay, save it for the herd,
Don't go dancin sportin your spurs.
Don’t go…
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
5
THE COWTOWN BALL
A
Last Saturday night all them rounders squared up,
B7
Those barndoor belles was a cuttin up a rug.
E
Long tall Lucy said, "don't you wanna go?
A
E
A
Kick them cowpies off of your toes".
D
A
Let me be a cowpoke out on the western range,
B7
E
Chase them dogies cause my heart is strange,
A
D
Pillow my head where the coyotes call,
A
E
A
Leave them sweet peas at the Cowtown Ball.
Satin dresses and bales from the barn,
Every time I turned somebody grabbed my arm,
Lost my right and left, nearly lost my mind,
Had more partners than I ever wanna find.
Let me…
Kamikaze polka and shuffle cross the floor,
Mountain two-step and hollerin for more.
Thats when Lucy met ole Handsome Jack,
He swung her cross the floor and he never brung her back.
Let me…
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
6
PASSIN THRU
A
D
A purple shard bathed in sunlight, serenaded by the western wind
A
E
An old bottle from an old saloon where the dance came to an end
D
A
Hit the lips of a salt-flat maid who bought it in nineteen two
E
A E
A
You can toss it hand to hand, passin’ thru
D
Passin’ thru, coyotes cryin
A
Passin’ thru, west wind sighin
B7
The silver’s gone with the ragtime songs
E
Buddy, what’ll you do
D
Passin’ thru, headin down the road
A
Passin’ thru, with a heavy load
E
We’re all alike lookin for a strike
A E
A
E7
Passin’ thru
Each evenin’ she would walk the sage, a vision in a flowered frock
By cottonwood where the head-frame stood and her Bill drilled in the rock
The whiskey gave her one fine jolt and washed away the blues
Till she threw it at the road, passin’ thru
A crust of sand on the edge of glass at the end of camp
Held her final fallen tear as she cursed that mining scamp
Soon the desert moon would rise and show he’d no more crew
Just a dream of dry romance, passin’ thru
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
7
SIGHIN, CRYIN, LYIN, DIEIN FOR YOU
D
A
I should be foolin round and havin fun
E7
A
Slippin around the town with anyone.
D
A
Takin some pleasure in the things I do
E
D E7
A
Instead of sighin lyin cryin, diein for you.
E
A
Late at night I have been heard to say,
B7
E7/
"why does she look at me that way,
D
A
Just one kiss and I could be true."
E D E7
A
Instead of sighin lyin cryin, diein for you.
I should be steppin out in my cowboy hat,
Singin of moon in june, just an old tom cat
Hootin loud and clear with a reckless crew
Instead of sighin lyin cryin, diein for you.
Late at night…
I should be fancy free, crazy and wild,
Dancin above this love in a two-step style
Watchin the sun come up on the avenue,
Instead of sighin lyin cryin, diein for you.
Late at night…
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
8
LOUIE THE HORSE
C
G
Went to see my old friend Slim, he had a horse called Lou looked just like him.
C
He lit up a smoke, told an old joke and said, "you ought to give Louie a spin."
F
Threw on the saddle and reins, shoulda requested new brains,
C
G
C
G7
Put one foot in, took off like the wind, learnin that Louie ain't lame.
F
C
You need a bald faced bay with the right appeal,
F
C
Lots of chrome and four good wheels,
F
C
Sip the clutch and its the real feel,
G
Louie the horse was a real steal,
C
Yippee tie yi yippee tie yay.
Lou knew the way to a bar, we made money on racin the hot rod cars.
Roundin near, folks threw me beers, and I felt like a shootin star.
Lou knew the way to a ranch, heavens how that horse he could dance.
Jumpin over the barn I waved my arm, and wripped a hole in my pants.
Headed down under the hill, crossin the place of shotgun Bill.
Did a double loop, hit the chicken coop, and came up arunnin still.
Joined a parade in town, all the ladies was agathered round.
I tipped my hat and kicked his fat, Lou said, "shoo", and lay down.
They offered me fifty bucks, sayin, "Get that derned cayuse unstuck.
He's in the way of the band, the nine foot man, and the antique fire trucks."
Movin Lou wouldn't do, till I waved a bottle of glue.
He took off in a sweat with a majorette, I gave Slim a dollar or two.
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
9
AT THE COWCAMP JAMBOREE
C
D
Well I happened to stand on the corner today when I heard a song on the radio play,
F
C
A7 D
G
broken hearted, singin the blues, much too sad for a buckaroo.
C
D
Give me ropin and ridin and tossing big bales to horses you hear of in all of our tales.
F
C
A7
D
G
C
I'm leavin town, you'll find me down at the cowcamp jamboree.
G
C
G
C
There'll be dust a risin and folks collidin, cowboys singin in harmony.
G
C
A7 D
G
Down the middle to that ragtime fiddle, hear my yo de oh lay dee hee.
C
D
You' find me laggin round that old chuck wagon, bowl of beans sittin on my knee.
F
C
A7
D
G
C
G7
When day is done, I'm havin fun, at the cowcamp jamboree.
Take me back to that shack with my good time pals,
camp fire singin round the big corral.
Ragtime fiddle and a shoe string bow, washtub bass and that old banjo.
Cowpokes pickin on their old guitars, night wind risin from the western stars,blue desert
moon, everyone's in tune, at the cowcamp jamboree.
When I get there you bet there'll be dancin round,
eatin mountain oysters and whoopin up a sound.
Two steppin my cotton eyed cutie, purty little pigtailed bullridin beauty.
Hey Mr. DJ play me a song, with coyotes callin all night long.
Way out west, land that I love best, at the cowcamp jamboree.
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
10
CARSON CITY SERENADE
C
F
In the shadow of sage and pine, by that silver dome flag flyin,
G
C
Cdim G
I hear that train whistle sighin, Carson City serenade.
C
F
Where Chinese laid the rails and Nevada tells her tales,
G
C
F
C
I dream of long square nails, Carson City serenade.
F
Fm
C
Am
By an old house in the shade of cottonwood where fences fade
Dm
G
Tahoe blows down the glade, Carson City serenade.
C
F
Where the western desert starts and the highways meet to part
G
C
F
I take the bluebird to my heart, Carson City serenade
C
As gas lamps light the night, on the hill our C shines bright,
And these wild words I write, Carson City serenade.
Like a pioneer I talk, to ghosts on wayward walks,
Of pogonip on trees and rocks, Carson City serenade.
Ten million cars whiz by and never note that border sky
Or the zephyr’s lonesome cry, Carson City serenade.
Then the big clock sings a song, Cactus Jack waves along,
Every tumbleweed belongs, Carson City serenade.
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
11
G7
L-U-V SPELLS LOVE
C
I didn't have a chance cause it took me by surprise
F
Like a buckin mule, hit me right between the eyes
C
F
Imagine my dismay, it wouldn't go away
C G
C
L-U-V spells love
I tried to fight it off with my two bare hands
We was whompin' and a stompin' all 'cross the land
I gave a mighty lick but the label sticks
L-U-V spells love.
F
C
L's for the lillylivered way that I feel, U's for unusual or maybe unreal
G
C G
C
V's for vitamins, vote, violet and veal, L-U-V spells love
I'm walkin talkin proof of the power in hope
Cause my eenie meenie mys just turn out nope
I keep pluckin' flowers and singin' out sour
L-U-V spells love.
Someone call the doctor and get me in soon
I'm a seein' stars and I can't find the moon
Someone hid the clues, someone check the fuse
L-U-V spells love
You can't learn it in school or out of a book
It's a dud when there's mud in your babblin' brook
Take the test and cram, write your Uncle Sam
L-U-V spells love
I can see that Bigtime shinin' bright for me
Gonna quit this ranch and live wild and free
Peel me a grape, there's no escape
L-U-V spell love
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
12
RIDIN THE THUNDERSTORM’S LIGHT
C
F
C
F
C
My pickup truck got stuck in the muck just this side of Elko.
C
F
C
D
G
I tightened my boots and I stepped in the soup and fell in up to my elbow.
F
C
F
G
Swam for the jack where I keep it in back as the roof disappeared in goo.
C
F
C
G
C
Cryin "I'm cooked", upward I looked and a cow on the bank said, "moo".
F#
F
C
F
C
F
G
Cross Nevada I floated. Weeks I noted, singing with coyotes at night.
C
F
C
G
C
Becomin dissheveled I danced with the devil, ridin the thunderstorm's light
In a torrent I swirled and I thought about my girl, she was waitin at home for the beer.
I clutched in my hand one aluminum can till a rock tried to lodge in my ear,
Grabbed a power pole, but it slipped from its hole, blackin out half of the state.
Miles downstream I straddled this beam, fishin with buttons for bait.
Cross…
About to expire I spied barbed wire and snagged my cap on a splinter.
A Basque unstuck me sayin, "how lucky, you didn't fall in last winter."
He said with a sigh, "our desert is dry but the weather nobody knows."
Still I dream chocolate ice cream runnin between my toes.
Cross…
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
13
BOBCAT IN THE BUNCH
C
Bobcat in the bunch and I ain't got one hunch,
G
where those poor dogies aim to go.
C
I run 'em up and down, head 'em back and turn 'em round,
G
C
this must be the way to Mexico.
F
C
To Mexico, (to Mexico)
C
G
this must be the way to Mexico.
C
I'll run 'em up and down, head 'em back and turn 'em round,
G
C
this must be the way to Mexico.
There's a lady in Juarez dotes on every word I says,
when she do the polka I'm aglow.
After all that lah dee dah, her baby calls me pa,
this must be the way to Mexico.
To Mexico…
Cowpie in my eye and my whiskers full of fly,
all I really wants a little dough.
After sleepin on this nag I'll sidle like a rag,
this must be the way to Mexico.
To Mexico…
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
14
DESERT DINAH
A
I first saw Desert Dinah late at night outside of Mina,
D
we was herdin dogies thru the night.
B7
Old Tex he had the lead and he took a mighty bead,
E
saying, "boys I gander up some candle light."
A
Dinah stood before her winder and my heart was near to tinder,
D
as she combed her tresses to her side.
B7
All the buckaroos did yip as she set to dip her slip.
E7/
You could hear them callin cross the desert wide.
D
A
E
A
Yippee tie yie yay, oh de de lay hee ah de hoo, Oh de lay dee ah dee hoo.
Dinah didn't cotton callin and rocks a started fallin.
Buckaroos skeedaddled cross the range.
Conjunctions she unloosed may be ordinary use,
but to cowpokes profanity is strange.
I was staggering down the street one Sunday in the heat,
Dinah crossed my path upon the way.
Freshly outa church, she made my heart to lurch,
till the only thing that I could think to say, was,
Yippee…
It musta been my singin set her arms a swingin,
I fell into her clutches there and then.
Dinah bandaged up my head, I asked her if she'd wed,
and every night I ask her once again.
My life'd me more certain if she'd only buy a curtain,
or put her candle further down the hall.
In her parlor smokin stogies, still I'm smelling dogies,
and I dream that I can hear the desert call...
Yippee…
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
15
DON’T FALL DOWN A MINE SHAFT
C
G
F
Am
Traveling to Nevada, this warning’s for you
Em
F
C
Please be careful as you wander through
G
F
G
Am
Beware that abyss that waits for the daft
F
C
Don’t fall down a mine shaft
Am
Em F
C
Old nails in the sand sing this song
G
Am
No sign, no fence and the bosses are gone
G
F
G
Am
Feel that subterranean draft
F
C
Don’t fall down a mine shaft
Men dig the mountain and treasure each speck
A hundred foot tumble and you’ll break your neck
Ignore the glitter, the rock cut with craft
Don’t fall down a mine shaft
Old nails…
Some days you will drift on an underground stream
Forever trapped in a dark desert dream
Unless you can conjure some magical raft
Don’t fall down a mine shaft.
Old nails…
The ghost of a miner out crossing the plain
Sails for plunder deep in the vein
Pause you’ll hear him having a laugh
Don’t fall down a mine shaft
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
16
PICK AX PETE’S COLLECTORS TRADING POST
G
C
G
Em C
D
I've seen the Luxor temple and the wild pirate ship
G
D
C
G
Em
D
That sales out from the Circus long Las Vegas stylish strip
Em
C G
C
G
Em
D
I've seen the naked ladies dance and heard the marble ghost
G
C
G
Em
D
G
but they're incomplete side Pick Ax Pete's Collector's Trading Post
Old bar room sets with tattered nets that fade out in the sun
Coffee pots and wire in knots. Machines that used to run
They fill my dream, a reckless team, oh who might keep that host
No one can beat old Pick Ax Pete's Collector's Trading Post
There's a cow out on the desert hills where buckaroos explore
And an artist in the mining town, a serpent on his door
When the moon is full he'll paint a skull for tourists from the coast
They find this treat at Pick Ax Pete's Collector's Trading Post
There's a tractor with a broken block, her wanderings untold
Her rust now drops where last she stopped, she’s waiting to be sold
And long now has she waited, thar, her tires gone for toast
Try her seat at Pick Ax Pete's Collector's Trading Post
With crimson eyes and leather skin, Pete laughs without a care,
"I've plundered half the trailer trash from here to anywhere.
But you can find jest what you need, what do you need the most?
Well it ain't so neat at Pick Ax Pete's Collectors Trading Post"
A whistling wind the warehouse winds, open on three sides
The news plays on the radio for lizards and for flies
But I'm in search of a bottle blue for this candle that I boast
On the step we meet at Pick Ax Pete's Collector's Trading Post
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
17
HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT HORACE
G
D
Horace Greeley came to Carson town in 1859,
G
He had to get to Placerville to make a speech on time.
D
He boarded the mud wagon where Hank Monk ran the whip,
G
D
G
And off they set for Placerville at quite a decent clip.
Now Greeley carried a fancy cane, some called him rotund,
A scrawny bit of coyote, Monk worked out in the sun.
Horace knew the bankers, Hank Monk the horse's tails,
A thousand miles from eastern states, deliverin the mails.
G
C
Horace calls out, "driver, please make no mistake,
D
G
I must arrive by five o'clock for oratory's sake."
G
C
Hank Monk turns and hollers down as plain as any sign,
D
G
D
G
"Hold on to your hat Horace, I'll get you thar on time."
Around the cliffs of Carson Pass the great mud wagon swayed,
The vessel ne’er slowed, nor stopped or ever a moment delayed.
With rhetorical flourish, Hank drove his horses forth,
Depositing the learned man upon the promised course.
Greeley bought Hank Monk a watch in Placerville,
Our driver hit the water hole and thar he drank his fill.
Local rowdies caught the yarn our whipster did unwind,
“Hold on to your hat Horace, I'll get you thar on time.”
Mouth to mouth this epigram shot down the western road,
Every time we told it, the story growed and growed.
Some said Horace hit his head, his feet had left the floor
His hand had struggled for the strap, he yearned to use the door.
Hank Monk wrecked his wagon, soon afterward he died,
But the hard case nation all reveled in that hot summer's ride.
When Greeley ran for President, we laughed at Hank Monk’s line,
“Hold on to your hat Horace, I'll get you thar on time.”
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
18
JACK DONNELL
G
C
D
G
He came out west from Ireland, Jack Donnell was his name,
G
C
D
G
He came to work the railway and play the miner's game.
G
C
D
G
He fell in love with a Paiute girl which was against the rules,
G
C
D
G
And fought a man in Reno town who called him a darn fool.
G C
D G
He broke out of the county jail and vowed that he'd be free,
Up in Virginia City, Jack set out on a spree.
In a rush to make his pile Jack robbed a monte bank
But spent it all on whiskey his friends all promptly drank.
Far out on the rocky road Jack robbed the evening stage,
and thar he met the novelist who wrote the Western Sage.
Says he, "Now Jack you strike me as a fairly clever lad,
Let's head down to Carson town and we'll put on the cad."
Soon Jack wrote home to his ma in dear old Ireland,
"I've got a silver headed cane, no pocket full of sand.
I never curse, I never swear. The gals I know are fine.
My bhoys out on the corner put down all sorts of crime."
Late one night while gambling, Jack drew a royal flush,
he nearly fell out of his chair, he could not help but blush.
He glanced ore at his Rosy and panic filled his face,
Jack saw that he had tipped his hand, informin' the whole place.
Jack drew his pistol from his waist but pulled too hard too soon.
The echo from that awful blast rattled round the room.
Jack lay dieing on the floor, wonder in his eyes.
The final words our hero spoke, "Sure, I am surprised!"
He came out west from Ireland, Jack Donnell was his name,
he came to work the railway and play the miner's game.
He fell in love with a Paiute girl which was against the rules,
and fought a man in Reno town who called him a damn fool.
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
19
GIVE ME BACK NEVADA’S MOON
G
Am
G Am C
D9 G
Down in the great big city, people rushin by,
Dm Gdim F Fm A7
D9
everybody in hurry, and I don’t know why.
Em
Bm
Am
D9
There aint nothin for me, I’m here but I could die,
Dm
Gdim
F
Fm A7
D9
and everynight when I walk out, I look up and cry.
G
Gdim D9
Give me back Nevada’s moon,
C
D9
G D9
up in a western sky.
G
Gdim D9
I wanna hear those coyotes croon,
A7
D9
feel the wind rushin by.
Em
Bm
I wanna smell the sagebrush
Am
D9
after the rain fall.
G
Gdim D9
Give me back Nevada’s moon,
C
D9
G
and I’ll be happy after all.
Back home I had a sweetheart and boys I loved her true
but she only wanted money so its money now that I do.
She had some other feller’s baby so now I play the game,
gals got up in rhinestones, everyone the same.
Give me back…
Someday when I’m sick and dying, don’t you worry bout me
just send me some old pickup truck, a driver fast and free
take me down some desert road far from these walls of sin
so I can tell St. Peter as I come roarin in.
Give me back…
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
20
COLONEL BOOKER’S NEW VOLCANIC BRASS CALLIOPE
A
D
A
Come all you jolly cowpokes, a story I will wail
B7
E
‘bout some wild buckaroos out lonesome on the trail
A
D
A
Who purchased from a catalog, collectin’ up the fee
D
A
E
A
E7
Colonel Booker’s New Volcanic Brass Calliope
“Best be no slow waltzes,” cried Cookie with his knife
“They might make me lonesome for some doilies and a wife
Want nothin’ but the polka, that’s what they said it’d be
Colonel Booker’s New Volcanic Brass Calliope”
The parcel ‘rived that winter and the waddies lay entranced
“Boys, we need a whoop-tee-doo just like in Paris, France
Stow that old time fiddle, got some private orchestry
Colonel Booker’s New Volcanic Brass Calliope”
Cookie wound the iron crank and threw the fatal switch
We hid behind the water trough as gizmos set to twitch
It bucked about the old corral till Midnight had to flee
Colonel Booker’s New Volcanic Brass Calliope
Tin can whistles split the air, belts and wheels moaned
Inside a captive banjolin gave out a torrid tone
Smoke shot hot from tambourines, mercy what a spree
Colonel Booker’s New Volcanic Brass Calliope
Now there’s leevers in the hayloft and cogs upon the fence.
Those rounders say the whoop-tee-doo just knocked them full of sense
The drum still spun on upward, last anyone could see
Colonel Booker’s New Volcanic Brass Calliope
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
21
CAMPIN IN NEVADA TONIGHT
C
G
Am
It’s not hard to dream of stars when you’re campin out,
F
D
On the emigrant route where the coyotes shout,
G
F
Em
And the satellites whiz by till the bright mornin sky,
Am
D
G
Shines with the desert sun.
It’s a land made of sand and of ancient hope,
Full of rocky slopes where wild horses lope,
And a wind across space that runs a race,
With things yet to be done.
F
E
By a flickerin flame wild and tame
C
Am G
You sleep with the scent of the sage
F
Fm
Am
Adim
And a call from the hills that adds to the chills
C
G
C
G7
Campin in Nevada tonight
When you reach that far beach by the alkali flat,
Wear a tight wide hat, make the desert your mat,
And leaving all talk, dream of the hawk,
High and on the run.
You can hear far and near all the echoes long,
Of the pow wow song and the Chinese gong,
As the ranch hands dance and the show girls prance,
Workin for work and fun.
See the graves by the trail that the tumbleweeds cloak,
And the old wooden spoke where the wagon wheel broke,
Hear the prayer that goes on from evening till dawn,
Fired from an old rusty gun.
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
22
I’ll Wait For You In Carson City
Am
C
I’ll wait for you in Carson City
E7
Am
In the shadow of the lake
Dm
Am
Where every summer trails through time
G
In the desert bake
F
E7
When the powder blows white winter days
F
G
I’ll seize that blue gray light
Am
C
I’ll wait for you in Carson City
G
Am
Where the roads feel right
E7
Am
You’re tired of the game, you want to cash your chips
G
Am
Your mind is driftin off, on solitary trips
E7
Am
You hide in your shack, count your little pile
G
E7
I just want your love, your work and your smile
They had to pave this street, they had to front the cost
Watch out for the kids and sometimes get lost
Do you plot your way, out on some sagebrush hill
Leave that coyote track, we need you still
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
23
THE DESERT LETTER
Bb
Eb
Just off an old road where grasses grow tall,
Bb
F
Down where cottonwood yellow every fall,
Bb
Eb
Sittin by a fence post on a spot of green,
Bb
F
Bb
I'm writin you this letter, feet stuck in the stream.
Crickets fiddle and jump, the water's high this year,
Spring came late, we'll loose one hay I fear.
Friday at a party, I drank a bit too much.
You left no address and I miss your touch.
Did I tell you bout the time, I ran away from home,
Lit out for the coastland, bound to be along?
All my hopes got foggy, and hid there in the trees,
I'm sending you this letter on a desert breeze.
Mama says your grand-dad came here long ago,
Drivin covered wagon, searchin for gold.
Could it be his bloodline, bleached out in the sun.
No, don't say that small towns never are much fun.
Think about this desert where lost coyotes sing,
Where high beneath the rock, rattlers hide their sting,
Where curling from the sun you watch hawks entrance a jack.
I saw your eyes wander as we danced round and back.
Just off an old road where grasses grow tall,
Down where cottonwood yellow every fall,
Sttin by a fence post on a spot of green,
I'm writin you this letter, feet stuck in the stream.
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
24
SLUMGULLION HILL
D
G
When we cranked up Flapjack his right leg wasn’t workin
A7
G
D
His left eye wobbled funny like, his arms they made a jerkin
G
He'd fallin from the mine lift cuz he went and fell asleep
D A7
D
And we found him at the bottom, lying in a heap.
Flapjack muttered not a word fer his distant mother dear,
He hollered, "boys its whiskey helps to bring a tear.
Raise a round fer Scotland aye it's tough to fade away
Without one last fandango where the bagpipes play."
A
G
D
"Oh to hear the warpipe and see the laddies turn
G
D
A7
the canyon ring fair Fair Jenny as campfires burn.
D
G
The dream of gold goes dancin and gives a mystic thrill,
D
A7
D
but oh to hear the warpipe o'er Slumgullion hill."
The boys tied up a flour sack, sizin it with gum,
They rigged a reed in the neck of a bottle meant fer rum.
Nevermind the notes jest let the sucker drone,
We lassoed Flapjack to a chair and set to pipe him home.
The ladies at the Orpheum came out fer the parade,
Drunkards, dolts and deadmen woke up in the shade.
The mayor beat his bucket with a gray and tattered broom,
And in the din cried Flapjack, "the devil's makin room."
"Aye, tis brittle brattle till me hairt gaes sair,
I chase this caprin rattle but to be spared be mair."
Then with a final groan, Flapjack gave a desperate wheeze,
And we fixed him in the graveyard underneath the trees.
Hornpipes, jigs and marches now make a restless sign,
Tunes Flapjack whistled while diggin in the mine.
The bosses bought a lift gate but Flapjack's gone fer mulch.
and the band now plays fer plunder in the dives o' Windy Gulch.
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
25
MCGRAW’S GUN
C
Am
Bright lights flash, jackpots ring and that smell is old ash trays
C
Am
In the casino at Wild Jack's Hotel open 24 hours a day.
F
C
Am
Ruby flashes her hometown smile and deals out twenty one
Dm
G
Near the wagon wheel chandelier where they’ve mounted McGraw's gun.
Am
C
The antlers in the coffee shop come from McGraw’s ranch,
Am
G
and that's a piece of the famous rope and that's a piece of the branch.
F
C
Am
They say he's buried under the bank where the old calaboose stood,
Dm
G
C
And that’s the plaque with his final words, "I ain’t never been good."
G7
Signed pictures of the Hot Spots fade over the cashier's cage,
The jukebox cranks out love songs but Ruby ain't tellin her age.
She rakes the chips and chatters bout the zephyr runnin its course
and brags on the tale of Jack McGraw, hung for stealin a horse.
The antlers…
Ruby gets off bout midnight boys then it’s home to little May,
Whose Pa ran off with a waitress, who needs him anyway.
Sometimes she dreams of Jack McGraw, that moustache and those eyes,
Now they’re ridin wild mustangs cross the desert bout sunrise.
The antlers…
Ruby spies the hard rock men, all that whiskey and dust,
she hands out dollar coupons with eyes that you can trust.
They like to be around her and they tell her stories of gold,
she rakes their piles and they smile, "McGraw’s still livin bold!"
The antlers…
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
26
BLACK POWER IN THE CROCK
A
E
D
A
Late one night at Rendezvous I took some apple pie,
D
A
E
from Rattlesnake McGee sayin, “here’s mud in yer eye.”
A
E
D
A
I tilted back the jug, boys, and got the tallest shock,
D
A
E
A
to find he had included black powder in the crock.
D
A
I soared across the heavens and past a thousand stars,
D
A
E
I tipped my hat at Jupiter and Mars.
A
E
D
A
Flyin past the moon, I chipped a bit of rock,
D
A
E
A
glint to act as flint for black powder in the crock.
‘Twould not’ve been so special if I didn’t smoke a pipe,
exhalin apple vapors the potion set alight.
soon I left the ground and I joined a feathered flock,
dancin and a singin of black powder in the crock.”
I soared…
Renegades and Injuns, scouts and trappers too,
possum, fox and beaver in the smoky blue.
Squirrel, rabbit, coon, the animals could talk,
dancin round the fire for black powder in the crock.
I soared…
“What goes up must come down”, the mountain men declare,
next day I dug up Rattlesnake, asked him how he faired.
“I’m makin apple pie, twill be my private stock.
tis me mither’s recipe, black powder in the crock.”
I soared…
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
27
AIN’T NONE OF THEM COPPERHEADS HERE
C
F
G
C
Under the hill, Virginia City, Kelly worked down in the mine
F
C
Am Dm
G
Diggin fer silver, diggin fer gold, hotter ‘an hell all the time
Am
E7
Dm
G
Then under the moon he’d hit the saloon and call for a bucket of beer
C
F
G
C
Sayin boys let’s drink to the bosses, ain’t none of them copperheads here
They’re dinin on caviar way out in Frisco, I reckon they’ve got Rose Malone
When Flapjack fell down the mine shaft she quit writin letters back home
There ain’t no shame in these Fenian games when you’ve got your fist so near
That’s why I still muck for the drill, ain’t none of them copperheads here
One Sunday mornin after the service, the Union boys standin round
Kelly goes white and he staggers as a top hat moves from the crowd
Next moment he spies Lord Reginald Fry callin some Spanish gal dear
And O’Donnel laughs right in Kelly’s face, ain’t none of them copperheads here
Monday mornin’s a man for breakfast shot dead cold on the street
We know right away it’s Kelly himself, they say Mr. Fry’s off his feet
The rumors abound they went 15 rounds and Kelly walked home full of cheer
The Sheriff declared of the murder, ain’t none of them copperheads here
Some love the ground a thousand foot down, some call it a job
Some sell tobacco or whiskey, some riot, ramble and rob
Some stay awake nights with talk of their rights, some rule with a pistol and fear
And some make this toast to Kelly’s ghost, ain’t none of them copperheads here
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
28
CAUSE HER MAMA
C
Some gals go lookin with an uncle or cousin
,
C7
Gonna talk about Mable never got no lovin,
F
C
G7
Cause her Mama was there that night.
Big man come over Mable started to wiggle,
Put his arms around her and she started to giggle,
Cause her Mama was there that night.
F
C
Cause her Mama was there that night,
F
C
Mable couldn’t do nothing right,
D7
Mama kept a cryin Heidy High,
G/
G7/
Blow him kisses and bake him pie,
F
C
Cause her Mama was there that night.
G7
Well he asked her to dance and Mable said she would,
And when he held her close her Mama said that’s good,
Cause her Mama was there that night.
But she bit her tongue and swallowed her gum,
Stepped on his foot and broke his thumb,
Cause her Mama was there that night.
Cause her mama…
Well the moral of the story is you’re safe from trouble,
And you’ll always be single if you go out double,
And your mama is there that night.
Cause he drove em hold and mama sat in back,
And she had em all singin Hit The RoadJack
Cause her mama was there that night.
Cause her mama…
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
29
HIGH FLYIN DADDY
E
I drive an old jalopy, I smoke a long cigar
E7
Friday rolls around I find a big fruit jar
A7
E
I’m headed for the bright lights, here my motor run.
B7
A7
E
Cause this high flyin daddy’s bound to have his fun
B7
I love to hear that jingle no matter if I win,
Love to roll them dice, see that joker grin,
Hang out with the rounders, watch em shoot their guns,
Cause this high flyin daddy’s bound to have his fun.
Dancin till I fall down, lyin by the road,
Wait some eighteen wheeler for a ride back home.
Evenin rolls around, I don’t mind the mornin sun,
Cause this high flyin daddy’s bound to have his fun.
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
30
THE V&T’S BACK IN TOWN AGAIN
C
E7
A7
From Virginia on the hill, down to Carson, what a thrill
D7 G
C
Co G7
The V&T’s back in town again
C
E7
A7
Hear that whistle, smell that smoke, haulin all the finest folk
D7 G
C
The V&T’s back in town again
F
C
The V&T’s back in town again.
D7
They tore her down but they brought her round
G7/
I’m telling ya friend
C
E7
Park your Chevy, park your Ford
A7
Hear that conductor “all aboard!”
D7 G
C
Co G7
The V&T’s back in town again.
Little kids with lolly pops, buckaroos who tip their tops
The V&T’s back in town again
Fancy gamblers rollin dice, lovely ladies oh so nice
The V&T’s back in town again
Round the bend, slap my knee, in the tunnel shout whoopee
The V&T’s back in town again
Hear those wheels clickety clack, I ain’t never comin back
The V&T’s back in town again
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
31
WHEN IT’S RAGTIME IN NEVADA
C
F
C
Feelin happy my old pappy used to set me on his knee
D9
G
From his heart he’d impart how the world ought to be
C
F
E7
As he’d croon the whole saloon would rise and sing along
F
C
A7
D7
G7
C
While I’m a bobbin, the joint’s a throbbin as pappy sang this song
G
C
When it’s ragtime in Nevada pour me another shot
G
C
Bikers, bums and cowpokes, hippies smokin pot
F
Adim
C
A7
Hookers, hustlers, UFOs, that sweet thing on a tare
D9
G7
C
G7
When it’s ragtime in Nevada I’ll be there.
Rattlesnakin, syncopatin tough guys check their guns,
Boardwalk floozies shout out woozy, “pappy make it fun!”
All night on the upright, boys he held me near,
Fingers snappin, toes a tappin, he’d whisper in my ear.
Pappy’s left and I’m bereft still I play on the old banjo,
Sage and pine, beer and wine everywhere I go.
Desert moon, one more tune, gonna make it swing,
These rhinestones gonna moan, shake that thing.
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
32
COMSTOCK ANNIE
Gm Cm Dm
A7 Dm A7
Dm
Bb7
Last time I saw her she’d a beer in her hand
Dm
Bb7
A7
The gray peaks danced for a ragtime band
Gm
Dm
The tourists had gone home and the roads were ice
E
A7/
Comstock Annie, coulda loved her twice
Dm
Bb7
Like the dry moon flyin above St. Mary’s church
Dm
Bb7
A7
Her one good eye left me in the lurch
Gm
Dm
I’m missin her kissin in the middle of C street
E7
A7/
Dm
Comstock Annie, kinda wild but sweet
F
DmDm/ GG/
All those dreams of wanderin the sage
C
G
All those coyote trails, can’t turn the page
Gm
Dm
She hums a little tune, plays banjo in the wind
E7
A7
Dm
Comstock Annie with her freckled grin
or G7G7
She left a peace sign for the Sheriff to find
Talks to Mark Twain with the power of her mind
Wanders Sun Mountain lookin for some fun
Comstock Annie what have you done
Now she’s hangin with a banker in a cowboy hat
Ridin on a Harley goin rat a tat tat
Lookin for a place in her face for a jewel
Comstock Annie, I’m such a fool
I met her on the stage at Piper’s Opry House
Clumsy and loud like a midnight mouse
In her beaded top and her rhinestone boots
Comstock Annie shoutin rooty toot toot
Now the Red Dog’s hoppin, and it’s lit up once more
The ghosts on boot-hill all know the score
You ramblers and gamblers, better place your bets
Comstock Annie, that gal haunts me yet
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
33
AT THE COWCAMP JAMBOREE
C
D
Well I happened to stand on the corner today when I heard a song on the radio play,
F
C
A7
D
G
broken hearted, singin the blues, much too sad for a buckaroo.
C
D
Give me ropin and ridin and tossing big bales to horses you hear of in all of our tales.
F
C
A7
D
G
C
I'm leavin town, you'll find me down at the cowcamp jamboree.
G
C
G
C
There'll be dust a risin and folks collidin, cowboys singin in harmony.
G
C
A7 D
G
Down the middle to that ragtime fiddle, hear my yo de oh lay dee hee.
C
D
You' find me laggin round that old chuck wagon, bowl of beans sittin on my knee.
F
C
A7
D
G
C
When day is done, I'm havin fun, at the cowcamp jamboree.
Take me back to that shack with my good time pals, camp fire singin round the big
corral.
Ragtime fiddle and a shoe string bow, washtub bass and that old banjo.
Cowpokes pickin on their old guitars, night wind risin from the western stars,
blue desert moon, everyone's in tune, at the cowcamp jamboree.
When I get there you bet there'll be dancin round, eatin mountain oysters and whoopin
up a sound.
Two steppin my cotton eyed cutie, purty little pigtailed bullridin beauty.
Hey Mr. DJ play me a song, coyotes callin all night long.
Way out west, land that I love best, at the cowcamp jamboree.
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
34
CAUSE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS TURN A BUCKAROO BLUE
A
Used to be a cowpoke ridin around,
A7
Out where nothin but the coyotes sound.
D
A C#dim D9 Ebdim
Now I'm driftin like the hobos do,
E7
D7
A
Adim E7
Cause the bright lights turn a buckaroo blue.
Sittin on a stoop and the car horns blow,
Stop sign's red and the gamblers slow,
I'm lookin for that pebble in my shoe,
Cause the bright lights turn a buckaroo blue.
D
Dm
A
F#m
Midnight, star bright, don't seem to show.
B7
E7/
Reno town, foolin round, big neon glow.
High desert moon, rodeo queen,
Fill my cup with a western dream.
Tell me stories, make em wild and true,
Cause the bright lights turn a buckaroo blue.
Had me a shack in cottonwood shade,
Jackrabbit dancin as the sunset fades.
Now I'm workin at a job that's new,
Cause the bright lights turn a buckaroo blue.
One armed bandit, shakin my right,
Jukebox, whiskey, and a two-bit fight.
Get me goin, call the jailhouse crew,
Cause the bright lights turn a buckaroo blue.
Midnight…
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
35
SHE AIN’T CALLED SADIE NO MORE
C
F
She’ll drive your car, down to the bar
C
G
Tell you who you are, when you shout whoopee (whoopee!)
C
F
She’ll leave you thin, drinkin cemetery gin
C
Em
Am
Wearin diamonds and pearls, that ten foot showgirl
Dm
G
C
She ain’t called Sadie no more
She’s got the touch, you’ll need your crutch
She knows too much, she’ll run the store
Knew her way back when, had to see her again
Wearin diamonds and pearls, that ten foot showgirl
She ain’t called Sadie no more
F
C
In a big hotel, ringin the bell last night
D
G/
Entranced by her dance it was such romance I shot out the light
C
F
She winked her eye, I started to cry
C
Em
Am
Wearin diamonds and pearls, that ten foot showgirl
Dm
G
C/
She ain’t called Sadie no more
Knew her brother Bob, he liked to ramble and rob
Eat corn on the cob, sleep on my floor
They was just plain folks, it was all a hoax
Wearin diamonds and pearls, that ten foot showgirl
She ain’t called Sadie no more
Chorus
I wrote her a note, love your rhinestone coat
I’m slidin the slope, since the time we tore
Oh ancient age, now on stage
Wearin diamonds and pearls, that ten foot showgirl
She ain’t called Sadie no more
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
36
CARSON CITY SERENADE
C
F
In the shadow of sage and pine by that silver dome flag flyin,
G
C
Cdim G
I hear that train whistle sighin, Carson City serenade.
C
F
Where Chinese laid the rails and Nevada tells her tales,
G
C
F
C
I dream of long square nails, Carson City serenade
F
Fm
C
Am
By an old house in the shade of cottonwood where fences fade
Dm
G
Tahoe blows down the glade, Carson City serenade
C
F
Where the western desert starts and the highways meet to part
G
C
F
C
G7
I take the bluebird to my heart, Carson City serenade
As gas lamps light the night, on the hill our C shines bright,
And these wild words I write, Carson City serenade.
Like a pioneer I talk, to ghosts on wayward walks,
Of pogonip on trees and rocks, Carson City serenade.
Ten million cars whiz by and never note that border sky
Or the zephyr’s lonesome cry, Carson City serenade.
Then the big clock sings a song, Cactus Jack waves along,
Every tumbleweed belongs, Carson City serenade
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
37
GIVE ME BACK NEVADA’S MOON
G
Am
G Am C
D9 G
Down in the great big city, people rushin by,
Dm Gdim F Fm A7
D9
everybody in hurry, and I don’t know why.
Em
Bm
Am
D9
There aint nothin for me, I’m here but I could die,
Dm
Gdim
F
Fm A7
D9
and everynight when I walk out, I look up and cry.
G
Gdim D9
Give me back Nevada’s moon,
C
D9
G D9
up in a western sky.
G
Gdim D9
I wanna hear those coyotes croon,
A7
D9
feel the wind rushin by.
Em
Bm
I wanna smell the sagebrush
Am
D9
after the rain fall.
G
Gdim D9
Give me back Nevada’s moon,
C
D9
G
and I’ll be happy after all.
Back home I had a sweetheart and boys I loved her true
but she only wanted money so its money now that I do.
She had some other feller’s baby so now I play the game,
gals got up in rhinestones, everyone the same.
Give me back…
Someday when I’m sick and dying, don’t you worry bout me
just send me some old pickup truck, a driver fast and free
take me down some desert road far from these walls of sin
so I can tell St. Peter as I come roarin in.
Give me back…
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
38
HAVE YOU SEEN THE DAMSEL WHO STOLE MY CHECKERED PANTS
G
C
G
Have you seen the damsel who stole my checkered pants?
C
G
A
D
She traveled to Nevada all the way from Paris France.
C
G
C
I gave her twenty dollars and I never acted rough.
C
G
D
G
She stole my checked pants and left me standin in the buff.
C
G C
G
Standin in the buff, standin in the buff.
C
G
D
G
She stole my checkered pants and left me standing in the buff.
I met her over whiskey in a friendly sort of place.
She wore a red carnation and a smile upon her face.
If I hadn't a seen her twinkle I mighta turned right then,
and saved my checkered pants from all the dreadful ways of men.
The dreadful ways of men, the dreadful ways of me,
and saved my checkered pants from all the dreadful ways of men.
The dreadful ways of men….
Next morn as I walked down the street, I's feelin quite a breeze.
And everyone I happened on remarked upon my knees.
When my mind began to clear my nose began to run.
There's ears to hold my hat up but no holster for my gun.
Holster fer ma gun, holster fer ma gun,
there's ears to hold my hat up but no holster fer ma gun.
Holder fer ma gun…
She's stolen pants in Mexico and on the northern coast.
So, when you go a sportin tie yer britches to the post.
And if you see a gal in red suspenders, well, they're mine.
Oh, the dollars in those checkered pants should total forty nine.
Total forty nine, total forty nine,
the dollars in those checkered pants should total forty nine.
Total forty nine….
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
39
DON’T GO DANCIN SPORTIN YOUR SPURS
G
You got your ten gallon hat, got your pointy pointy boots,
D
Got your fringy jacket, got your rooty toot toot.
G
Got your line about Texas but I wanna tell you sir,
D
G
Don't go dancin sportin your spurs.
C
G
Don't go dancin sportin your spurs,
D
That ringle jingle jangle ain't my kind of words.
G
Wanna get close, make the cowgirls purr,
D
G
Don't go dancin sportin your spurs.
You got your four wheel truck, got your gun up on a rack
Got your silver buckle, got your tools in back.
Got your six pack partner, easy on the curves,
Don't go dancin sportin your spurs.
You got your big bay horse, got your saddle in the barn
Got that old lariat, got me hangin on your arm.
Got your yippeeodelayeeay, save it for the herd,
Don't go dancin sportin your spurs.
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
40
SOMEONE CUT THE SHOE TREE DOWN
Am
E7
If the Ormsby house's never done I'm ok
Am
They leveled the round house an’ hauled it away
Am
E7
Am
Dm
But sheriff on the highway far from town
Am
E7
Am
Someone cut the shoe tree down
C
Am
A sad murder ballad. it looked like salad
B7
E7
Lying on the ground
Am
E7 Am
Dm
Sunburned soles, laces falling out of holes
Am
E7
Am
Someone cut the shoe tree down
For many decades it was standing there
Collecting pairs of foot wear in the air
How I'm gonna miss that lost and found
Someone cut the shoe tree down
Aliens from mars danced there at night
Buckaroo boots on branches to the right
The tallest cottonwood for miles around
Someone cut the shoe tree down
Some hobo needed tennis, short on cash
Or the green weenies abhored the trash
The Feds have the case, they're dressed in brown
Someone cut the shoe tree down
Skin that varmit and we'll all say thanks
We held a service and we cried with angst
The trunk hit the snow without a sound
Someone cut the shoe tree down
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
41
PICKIN ON THE BANJO BY THE OLD STEAM TRAIN
E C#m A
E
My honey up and left me flat
E C#m
F#
B7
I have found the answer for that
E
C#m
A
Bbo
Tell you just what keeps me sane
E
C#
F# B7 E
Pickin on the banjo by the old steam train
E
C#m
A
E
She took my nickel, took my dime
E
C#m
F#
B7
Too few friends and too much time
E
C#m
A Bbo
I hit the road with my hat and cane
E
C#
F# B7 E
Pickin on the banjo by the old steam train
C#m
Ab
Clickety clack goin down the track
Bo
F#m
C#m
When my hearts in pain
F#
F#7
I tell ya sir, now here’s the cure
B7/
Pickin on the banjo by the old steam train
E
C#m A
E
That lonesome whistle sings my song
E C#m
F#
B7
Hear it wailing loud and long
E
C#m
A
Bbo
Bring the sunshine, chase the rain
E
C#
F# B7 E
Pickin on the banjo by the old steam train
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
42
TWILIGHT ON THE SAGEBRUSH
A6
D9
A
Twilight on the sagebrush, little shack on the hill
Bbo B7
E7
Moon rise cross the desert, I can see you still
D Dm
A Ab G Fm#
Lookin out the window, where the coyotes call
B7
E7
A Ao E7
Twilight on the sagebrush, old memories that's all
Well I met you in Frisco, out doing the town,
Hot roddin to Reno, we partied around
Then we hit the highway, lo we had a ball
Twilight on the sagebrush, old memories that's all
Ab C#m G#o Db
F#m
G#o
F#m
Dusty desert town that smells of pinion pine
B7
E7
You hit the old rock shop, all your smiles mine
Like the night time, we had to fall
Twilight on the sagebrush, old memories that's all
Twilight on the sagebrush, got my bolo tie
You wanted the bright lights, not the starry sky
Do you miss the jackalope, or my stories tall
Twilight on the sagebrush, old memories that’s all
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
43
THE QUEEN OF THE INTERSTATE
F
F#o Gm
C7
I pulled into Reno one summers night
F F#o
Gm G#o
By an old casino with a neon light
Dm
A7
I drank a beer with long tall Kate
G7
C7
The Queen of the interstate
F
F#o
Gm
C7
Her high heels walkin goin clickety clack
Bb
A7
She took me talkin by the railroad track
Bb
Bo
F
D7
Then hopped a greyhound just couldn’t wait
G7
C7 F
A7
The Queen of the interstate
Dm
A7
Honey I miss your green lipstick
Dm A7
Dm
And that safety pin in your nose
G
Ao Gm
G7
You got a kinda charm does a body harm
G7
C7
Who buys your clothes?
F
F#
Gm
C7
We left our beer cans on the ground
Bb
A7
Freight trains ran thru the town
Bb Bo
F
D7
I’d roll the dice for one more date
G7
C7 F C7
With the Queen of the interstate
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
44
GOT NO LOVIN NOW
C
F
Got no lovin now, got no lovin now
C
G
Headin down the road, feelin low
C
Got no lovin now
See you in my dreams, see you in my dreams
Weary and worn till the morn
See you in my dreams
Am
C
Out where the zephyr roars across the flat
Am
G
I ruined my boots, lost my cowboy hat
Em
Am
Feelin kinda lonesome, tell ya anyhow
Dm
G
C
Tryin to smile, all the while, got no lovin now
Tie yer whiskey down, tie yer whiskey down
Pour me a shot, make it hot
Tie yer whiskey down
Take tomorrow back, take tomorrow back
Put it in the box, turn the locks
Take tomorrow back
Wake me in the grave, wake me in the grave
Honey when you’re done havin fun
Wake me in the grave
Where the river ends, where the river ends
Sinkin in the dirt, all my hurt
Where the river flows
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
45
GONNA KEEP ME WARM SOME RAINY DAY
A7
G6
Bm
Your love was like whiskey in an old saloon
A7.
o5
E7
Em.
o6
A7
The sun settin fast past the window glass, the dust, the diamonds and ruin
G.
Gm.
Bm7. Em
A7.
G.
D
Like an old coat I've put it away
gonna keep me warm some rainy day
Out where the western wind whistles a tune
And shadows the white of clouds so bright dancing under the moon
My mind may drink till all of that gray
Gonna keep me warm some rainy day
A7
E7
Gonna keep me warm some rainy day
Db o4
When I’m lonesome
F#m
B7
Gonna keep me warm some rainy day
E7
A7
When I’m blue, for you
I gotta sober up, now what can I say
Gonna keep me warm some rainy day
My room full of treasures, purple bottles and string
Hides the reasons why I had to fly, and songs I’ll never sing
Just a drunken fool these feet of clay
Gonna keep me warm some rainy day
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
46
THE ROLLIN BLUES
G
F#
C
G
Rundown shack by the river side, bottle of whiskey to ride the tide
Am
C
A7
D7
Midnight moon on the water wide, I could drown in tears I've cried.
Em Bm
C
G
And, oh, I hear flies buzzin round, dreamin like you're back in town
Am
C
A7
D
Your money don't fool me now, please ease me down
G F#
C
G
I got the rollin blues like a ship thats lost her crew
Am
C
A7
D7
G
Nothin my old captain can do but let the storm roll in
Red-eyed risin, the heat of the day, chicory coffee, it tastes like clay
Say, did I make that devil pay, just a bucket of rain I save
And, oh, boatman don't go by, leavin’ my heart high and dry.
Sing your shanty lullaby and I will cry.
Twilight sittin on an old elm stump, whittlin’ dust and a kickin’ lumps
Used to win at bridge no trump, could it be I love this dump
And, oh, here’s that sawyer in white, tyin’ up to do me right
Your moustache lights up the night, Lordy what a sight
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
47
COMSTOCK ANNIE
Dm
Bb7
Last time I saw her she’d a beer in her hand
Dm
Bb7
A7
The gray peaks danced for a ragtime band
Gm
Dm
The tourists had gone home and the roads were ice
E
A7/
Comstock Annie, could have loved her twice
Dm
Bb7
Like the dry moon flyin ore St. Mary’s church
Dm
Bb7
A7
Her one good eye left me in the lurch
Gm
Dm
I’m a missin her kissin in the middle of C street
E7
A7/
Dm
Comstock Annie, kinda wild but sweet
F
DmDm/ GG/
All those dreams of wanderin the sage
C
G
All those coyote trails, can’t turn the page
Gm
Dm
She hums a little tune, plays banjo in the wind
E7
A7
Dm
Comstock Annie with a freckled grin
or G7G7
She left a peace sign for the Sheriff to find
Talks to Mark Twain with the power of her mind
Wanders Sun Mountain lookin for some fun
Comstock Annie what have you done
She’s hangin with a banker in a cowboy hat
Ridin on a Harley goin rat a tat tat
Lookin for a place in her face for a jewel
Comstock Annie, I’m such a fool
Chorus
I met her on the stage at Piper’s Oprera House
Clumsy and loud like a midnight mouse
In her beaded top and her rhinestone boots
Comstock Annie shoutin rooty toot toot
Now the Red Dog’s hoppin and it’s lit up once more
The ghosts on boot-hill all know the score
You ramblers and gamblers, better place your bets
Comstock Annie, that gal haunts me yet
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
48
GOT A GAL NAMED JANE RIDIN BY MY SIDE
F
Dm
F
Dm Gm
C7
Way out west my mama pined watch yer step when yer love light shines
Bb
A7
D7
G7
Look for a sweetheart oh so refined but mama can’t help me now…
C7
I gotta cowgirl likes to drink whiskey,
F
Tell dirty jokes, act real frisky
C7
We go out shootin my forty four
F/
E Eb
Don’t mind me sleepin by her back door
D7
A few good teeth and a couple of curves
G7
Kicks me in the rear when I get nerves
C7
Yessir boys I’m satisfied
F
F#
C7
F
Got a gal named Jane ridin by my side
We hit the lights on a reg’lar spree
Rollin the dice like spellin the bee
Huggin an kissin till the cows come home
Won’t somebody answer the phone
Wake up in a pile on the edge of town
Don’t tell mama just what I found
Yessir boys I’m satisfied
Got a gal named Jane ridin by my side
I bought her a horse with four left feet
I painted the barn but it needed to eat
She bought me a truck one fender gone
We sit ‘round singin honky tonk songs
She flirts with the mayor but that won’t last
Who needs a future when you got a past
Yessir boys I’m satisfied
Got a gal named Jane ridin by my side
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
49
TALKIN THRU YER HAT
G
D
Down in Reno town as you ramble all around havin’ a mighty fine time
G
They take you at poker, they take you with a joker, and leave you with one last dime
C
Then some purty little gal up and calls you pal and that’s when you’re busted flat
Go
G
E7 A7
D7
G
But don’t you worry son, it’s all in good fun, talkin’ through your hat
You tell her that she’s sweet, she thinks you’re kinda neat, the place is goin wild
Those rooty toot tooters, real straight shooters and pit bosses puttin on the style
Big Joe from Abilene and some Dude make the scene, and that’s when she purrs like a
cat
You’re both feelin’ nice, you negotiate the price, talkin’ through your hat
Mornin rolls around and your wallet can’t be found, but the sentimental memories
endure
Down Commercial Row you stagger and you throw and bum a cup of coffee for a cure
At the mission they got soup and you join that happy troop, singin songs and gettin fat
Pawn your phone for a loan, hop the greyhound home, talkin through your hat
Mama I been gone, but I ain’t been gone so long cuz the world is a very funny place
There’s midnight jangler that neon wrangler and the smile upon their face
There’s the misses that you met and the kisses that you get,
and the hand you shoulda stood pat
The lesson in the end, watch what you spend, talkin through your hat
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
50
ME AND THE BLUES
C
E7
F
C
Cowboy sittin by the railroad track
Am7
Gdim
Dm
G7
Bus ticket home but I ain’t goin back
C
Gdim
F
Adim
You’ve got your momma cause that’s what you choose
Em
Dm
D9
G7
Ain’t nothing here cept me and the blues
C
E7
F C
Saxophone playin across the floor
Am7
Gdim
Dm
G7
lazy and lonesome it’s half past four
C
Gdim
F
Adim
I picture you dancin but what can I lose
Em
Dm
D9
G7
everybody’s gone home cept me and the blues
F
Fm
Am
F
Me and the blues, gotta sing this song
Am
G B7b5 E7
Me and the blues, can’t go wrong
C
Gdim
F
Adim
no stoppin what’s hot just payin my dues
Em
Dm
D9 G7
C dim DM G7
and missin your love for me and the blues
You shiver and sway, you reach for my hand
the drummer starts tappin, here comes the whole band
bright lights flashin but poof its a ruse
a smolderin torch for me and the blues
Out on the street they’re washin the walk
too early for coffee, too late for talk
I’d ask you old questions but they’re droppin the news
it’s tied up in knots just like me and the blues
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
51
THE JOKER AND THE JACK
Am
E7 Am
E7
Dm
E7
Am E7
At a hot spot in Reno near the casino, a sugar daddy sat talkin to his sweetie pie
Am
E7
Am
E7 D7
G7
He’d lost all their money so he had to tell his honey the reason why
C
Am
Blue poker chips touched by red ruby lips
F
D
G7
My poor heart skips, honey that’s my kick
C
Am
Throw it all away until the break of day
F
D
G7
Can we make it pay, hear me when I say
F
C
It’s the money on the table, it’s the bright lights
D9
G
G7
Those ringin bells, cigar smells, the cowboy lost at night
F
C
It’s that old Cadellac, wth your kisses in back
D
G
C
Holdin you near, drinkin a beer, the joker and the jack
Downtown dreams and wild midnight schemes
Make those neon streams shine like moon beams
If I’m busted flat and talkin thru my hat
You dig some other cat, oh you dirty rat
Keep me hot and spot those easy slots
I’ll roll those magic dots, hit that golden pot
I’ll burn in burlesque fire, lit by luck’s desire
You can get me higher, I just can’t retire
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
52
Aunt Sally Took The Mine Tour
A
D
Aunt Sally took the mine tour at the rear of the saloon
E
A
She ain’t never comin back, it’s a tale of rack and ruin
A
D
The tour guide told them to, “turn left”, Aunt Sally took a right
E
A
While she’s wanderin the shaft, we’re drinkin beer all night
We’ll drink here till December and then we’ll head on home
We’ll have to tell our Uncle Jack, Aunt Sally’s not alone
She’s probably met some Irish crew, diggin’ gold below
She’ll learn em how to knit and lay the neatest row
The Sheriff sent a rescue squad, they’ve disappeared now too
A thousand miles of tunnel, there’s nothin’ we can do
Uncle Jack’ll build a monument or maybe he’ll just fish
He’ll think about her casserole, that was his favorite dish
So if you take the mine tour, be sure and look around
Aunt Sally’s wears a flowered hat, she smiles and never frowns
Her singin makes one queasy though she’s anythin’ but frail
She can yodel like a buckaroo, listen for that wail
Ghost hunters will be searchin’ with ethereal machines
We’ll sell the movie rights and an active figurine
Aunt Sally’s tragic tale is a lesson you should learn
Don’t worry bout the mine tour, most of the folks return
yodel
All Songs © 2013 C.W. Bayer
www.nevadamusic.com
53