We had a discussion at the Singaround about the Johnson County War. Background information would be appreciated.

JOHNSON COUNTY WAR
(Chris LeDoux)

Headed for Wyoming, in 1882
A woman, a team, and a wagon
Gonna make our dreams come true
Settled in the foothills of the Big Horn Mountain slope
Life is sweet, we lived on the meat
Of the deer and the antelope

We cut house logs up on the mountain
With the team we hauled 'em down
Peeled 'em and we stacked 'em up
House, and bottom ground (??)
Traded for some cattle, turned 'em out on the open range
The skies were blue and we never knew
How things were gonna change

Ol' Powder River, you're muddy and you're wide
How many men have died along your shore?
When you brand a man a rustler, he's gotta take a side
There's no middle ground in this Johnson County War

Well, the neighbors stopped by yesterday
While I was outside choppin' wood
And they filled me in on the local news
There ain't none of it sounded good
Said, there'd been some cattle stealin'
By some no-count outlaw bands
We'd all been branded rustlers
By the big ranchers of this land

Well it was us against the cattlemen
And the years just made it worse
First the drought and then the tough winter
Johnson County had been dealt a curse
Then there came the story about the two Dry Gulch attacks.
Ranger Jones and John Tisdale both shot in the back

Ol' Powder River, you're muddy and you're wide
How many men have died along your shore?
When you brand a man a rustler, he's gotta take a side
There's no middle ground in this Johnson County War

And then last night at supper time
Riders stopped by chance
They said the cattleman and their hired guns
Just burned the Kaycee ranch
Two men had died this mornin'
Shot down in the snow
Now the vigilante army was on the march to Buffalo

Well the county was in an uproar
And every man saddled up to ride
Caught the cattlemen at the TA ranch
And surrounded all four sides
We hailed the house with bullets
And swore they were gonna pay
But the cavalry came across the plains
And once again they saved the day

Well, they marched them off to Cheyenne
And no one went to jail
The cattlemen were all turned loose
And the hired guns hit the trail
And I guess the only justice
Wasn't much to say the least
Last winter me and mine ate mighty fine
On the cattle baron's beef

Ol' Powder River, you're muddy and you're wide
How many men have died along your shore?
When you brand a man a rustler, he's gotta take a side
There's no middle ground in this Johnson County War
There's no middle ground in this Johnson County War

Source: Musixmatch (corrected by Joe Offer, but still uncertain in spots)
Songwriters: Chris Ledoux

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS5CTMQ2Vro