The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #26572   Message #4208653
Posted By: Joe Offer
20-Sep-24 - 04:38 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Buffalo Skinners
Subject: Version: Buffalo Skinners
BUFFALO SKINNERS (DT Lyrics)

Come all you old-time cowboys and listen to my song
Please do not grow weary, I'll not detain you long
Concerning some wild cowboys who did agree to go
And spend a summer pleasant on the trail of the buffalo

I found myself in Griffin in the spring of '83
When a well-known, famous drover came a-walking up to me
Saying, How do you do, young feller, and how would you like to go
And spend a summer pleasant on the trail of the buffalo

Well, me being out of work right then, to the drover I did say
(Well, it's me being out of employment)
This going out on the buffalo range depends upon your pay
But if you will pay good wages, transportation to and fro
I think I might go with you to the trail of the buffalo

Of course I'll pay good wages, give transportation too
If you'll agree to work for me until the season's through
But if you do grow weary and you try to run away
You'll starve to death upon the trail, and also lose your pay
(But if you get dissatisfied and you start back for your homes,
It's likely you will starve to death, and also lose your way)

Well, with all his flattering talking, he signed up quite a train
Some ten or twelve in number, some able-bodied men
Our trip it was a pleasant one as we hit the westward road
And crossed old Boggy Creek in old New Mexico

There our pleasures ended and our troubles all begun
A lightning storm did hit us and made our cattle run
(The very first buff I went to skin, Christ, how I cut my thumb)
Got all full of stickers from the cactus that did grow
(While skinning those damned old stinkers, our lives they were so low)
And outlaws waiting to pick us off in the hills of Mexico

Well, the working season ended and the drover would not pay
You all have drunk too much, you're all in debt to me
But the cowboys never had heard of such a thing as a bankrupt law
So we left that drover's bones to bleach on the trail of the buffalo
BUFFALO SKINNERS (Cisco Houston Recording)

Come all you old-time cowboys and listen to my song
Please do not grow weary, I'll not detain you long
Concerning some wild cowboys who did agree to go
And spend a summer pleasant on the range of the buffalo

Well, I found myself in Griffin in 1883
When a well-known, famous drover come a-walking up to me
He said, How do you do, young feller, and how'd you like to go
And spend a summer pleasant on the trail of the buffalo

Well, me being out of work right then, to that drover I did say
This going out on the buffalo road depends upon your pay
If you'll pay good wages, transportation to and fro
Well, I think I might go with you on the range of the buffalo

Yes, I will pay good wages, and transportation too
If you'll agree to work for me until the season's through
But if you do grow homesick and try to run away
You'll starve to death out on the trail, and you'll also lose your pay

Well, with all this flattering talking, well he signed up quite a train
Some ten or twelve in number, all able-bodied men
Our trip it was a pleasant one as we hit the westward road
Until we struck old Boggy Creek in old New Mexico

Well, here our pleasures ended and our troubles all begun
When a lightning storm hit us and it made the cattle run
We got all full of stickers from the cactus that did grow
And the outlaws waiting to pick us off in in Old New Mexico

Well, our working season ended but the drover would not pay
He said, You went and drunk too much, you're all in debt to me
But the cowboys never had heard of such a thing as a bankrupt law
So we left that drover's bones to bleach on the range of the buffalo

Cisco Houston Recording:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dabBx5md8s


DT #377
Laws B10
@cowboy @work @murder
filename[ BUFFSKI2
JN
apr96


It's hard to tell where the Digital Tradition lyrics came from. Of the versions I reviewed, the closed was the recording by Cisco Houston. I posted my transcription of his recording next to the DT lyrics above. Differences are in italics. Note that the Woody Guthrie version is very similar.