Lyrics
This is the last cowboy song the end of a hundred year waltz
This marks the end of the era of cowboy culture, symbolized as a waltz lasting a century.
Voices sound sad as they're singing along another piece of America's lost
The voices singing express sorrow for the loss of another piece of American heritage.
He rides a feed lot and clerks in a market on weekends selling tobacco and beer
The cowboy now works in a feed lot and a market, emphasizing the shift from traditional cowboy life.
His dreams of tomorrow surrounded by fences
His dreams of the future are confined by fences, contrasting with a time when such boundaries didn't exist.
But he'll dream tonight of when fences weren't here
Despite the current reality, he dreams nostalgically of a time when fences were absent.
He blazed the trail with Lewis and Clark
The cowboy has a historical connection, having blazed trails with Lewis and Clark.
And eyeball to eyeball Ol' Wyatt backed down
Refers to a confrontation where the cowboy, like Wyatt Earp, stood firm and didn't back down.
He stood shoulder to shoulder with Travis in Texas
Highlights the cowboy's solidarity, standing shoulder to shoulder with Travis during historic events in Texas.
And rode with the Seventh when Custer went down
Recalls the cowboy's participation in the Seventh Cavalry alongside Custer.
This is the last cowboy song
Reiterates that what is being described is the last representation of the cowboy in song.
Remington showed us how he looked on canvas
Mentions Remington, an artist, portraying the cowboy on canvas, contributing to the cowboy's cultural image.
And Louie L'Amore has told us his tale
Louie L'Amore, a Western author, has shared tales about the cowboy.
And Willie and Waylon and me sing about him
Willie, Waylon, and the singer reflect on the cowboy's legacy through song, expressing a desire to have lived in that era.
And wish to God we could have ridden his trail
Artists wish they could have experienced the cowboy's life firsthand.
The Old Chisholm Trail is covered in concrete now
The Old Chisholm Trail, once a historic cattle trail, is now replaced by concrete, emphasizing modernization.
And they truck 'em to market in fifty foot rigs
Cattle are now transported in large trucks, a departure from the traditional cowboy herding.
They blow by his market never slowing to reason
Modern society ignores the cowboy's market, symbolizing the disregard for traditional ways of life.
Like living and dying was all he did
Contrasts the cowboy's simple existence with the indifferent pace of modern life.
This is the last cowboy song
Reiterates that the song marks the end of the cowboy's representation in music.
This is the last cowboy song
Emphasizes again that this is the concluding portrayal of the cowboy in song.
This is the last cowboy song
Confirms once more that this is the final representation of the cowboy in the song.
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