OLD COWHAND FROM RIO GRANDE in the DT.
Lyr Req: I'm an Old Cowhand (from the Rio Grande), a thread started 13 Jan 1997 that contains NINE VERSIONS, including Mercer's original, but none older.
Lyr Req: I'm an old cowhand from the Rio Grande, a thread started 19 Oct 2001 in which someone speculates that Mercer's song was a parody of something older, and Joe Offer sets him straight.
Lyr Req: Songs about Fords, a thread from 27 Apr 2005 in which someone posts yet another inferior copy, from memory.