Anyone ever hear of Chuck Pyle? I haven't heard a lot of his stuff but what I have, I like. He comes through Salt Lake fairly often but I haven't been able to convince the old trouble-and-strife to go to one of his concerts with me yet. Anyway, here's one of his songs I taped of the radio a few years ago which has got to be one of my favorite cowboy songs even though it's not traditional (I don't think):

NIGHT HORSE
Chuck Pyle

Well, you know it's hard to find a night horse,
That one sure-footed right horse,
To ride a cowboy safely through the dark.
Well the finest one I ever rode,
Was a short legged bay named "Little Joe"
When I signed on with this outfit in south Clark.

Well the night was still and the moon was down,
Througout the herd there was not a sound,
That's the time an old hand knows the cow might run.
And sure enough they jumped the grand,
Crashin' through they split a-strand,
Twenty buckaroos knew what was to come.

Chorus:
They're runnin' boys, they're runnin,
You all go run along.
Don't try to turn 'em back 'til they tire.
Just let 'em run their course.
Turn it over to your night horse,
Let 'im bring you back on home to the fire.


Well you know a lot of things that night happened,
That later got us laughin',
Though in the moment we were all strung pretty tight,
Joe Petty thought a clump of chemise,
Was a bedded down herd of cows,
And he circled round them singin' 'til daylight.

And his night horse stolen by the cook,
Old Bill Jenny set a-foot,
Cussin' at that cook as he rode away.
But they hadn't gone far and they had a wreck,
Bill's horse died of a broken neck,
And the cook stumbled through the night in a daze.

(Chorus)

Well it's gopher holes and steep ravines,
In the night cannot be seen.
He must use something other than his eyes.
Whatever birds fly south on,
I guess that's what he counts on,
Little Joe could carry me through to sunrise.
Whatever birds fly south on,
Guess that's what he counts on,
Little Joe could carry me through to sunrise.