You got that right, Willie-O. Liner notes say that the opening percussion bit to this song did become Ian's theme music to his show. I barely remember it... strange, since I grew up with Ian & Sylvia and Lightfoot albums as the soundtrack at home (Great Speckled Bird was the only Ian & Sylvia album we didn't have) and my parents used to do a pretty fair pastiche of I&S's harmonies together.

As far as the lines not scanning... I agree they don't, as read, but Ian's timing was a bit idiosyncratic on the song. He also slurred through some bits, which made it hard to understand clearly. And unfortunately, the lyrics weren't in his biography, I Never Sold My Saddle, either.

Another bit of Ian Tyson trivia... David Wilcox (the Canadian blues singer/guitarist, not the American acoustic guitar wizard) was a member of the band, The Great Speckled Bird, but not for the album.