Something's wonky here, because I'm sure I posted Rexford's original in a thread on Billy Venaro some time ago (in fact, I sent also sent the copy I'd found to Cowboy Poetry, and it may be the one they put on their pages). But both that post and the thread, which gave a lot of background and versions of this song, seem to have vanished.

FWLIW, the version I sing mostly follows the original poem, de-cowdlerized. I use the tune sung by Billie Maxwell, recorded back in 1927(?), with a second section I concockeyed.

This song still chokes me up.