Thanks, Pete:

Actually, I wrote the song moe than 20 years ago. An overly enthusiastic friend who ran a coffee house promoted a concert at the place with a rave compliment about the song I did about a "killer rooster." Herbert was tough, but he wasn't a killer. After that build up, I had to do the song at the concert, and it became a favorite to the point where I got sick of singing it and didn't do it for years. The other song I got sick of doing that was one of my most requested was a children's song, Robert's Rooster. I stopped singing that one for years too. And I stopped writing songs about roosters. :-)

Here's Herberttttttt...

Herbert

He came a' riding in to town in a great big Cadillac
With the windows all rolled down, tied in a gunny sack
But the sack was for potatoes, and not for Herbert's kind
And with his spurs as sharp as razors, he cut the ties that bind

CHORUS:
   
   And Herbert was the terror of the local countryside
   Sometimes he'd flag the neighbor's cat and he'd take him for a ride
   And there never was a man or beast who could make him miss a step
   And you can bet your bottom dollar, he hasn't met one yet

When Herbert strolled the neighborhood, the squirrels stayed in their nests
The dogs all looked the other way, and the cats would genuflect
And the pigeons in my Dad's garage got up and barred the door
For those who messed with Herbert were never seen no more

We took him to my Uncle's farm when I had to move away
The roosters met him at the gate, just to have a little play
But when he rode them 'round the yard, their enthusiasm waned
And I swear he'd jump them through a hoop, he had them so well trained

… My Aunt Gladys told me that when she went out into the yard the first night that Herbert was there, all the roosters were settled down in the yard. Except for Herbert. He claimed the hen house all to himself, and was feeling mighty pleased about it.