I'm glad Lee Hays reincarnation finally showed up. Thanks Rich. Wally McRae supposedly got his inspiration from an older Scottish poem on the subject and adapted it to fit the cowboy imagery. Lee Hays may have created his piece or possibly borrowed from the same place. The Ozark Folk Center folklorist dates the McRae poem to around 1981. Dale Rose found information indicating a date of 1980. Either date would have placed McRae's poem later than that of Hays.