Song Challenge #Umpteen

Subject: Song Challenge #Umpteen
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Oct 06 - 10:43 AM

There's a great story, very colourful, HERE which should serve as good material for a new cowboy song. Here's the first bit:

Last roundup: Tourist-weary cowboy, 69, says it's time to move on, but not retire

Friday, October 06, 2006

By ANN WINTERHOLTER

The Daily Sentinel

A DAY WITH DUCE

Cowboy Duce has made it clear he's not hanging up his spurs.

"I'm not retiring, I'm just quitting this job," he said a week and a half ago as he and a couple of "the bosses" were tying up panels to form corrals before riding out to round up cattle around Brink Spring. The area is just off Blue Hills Road south of Canyonlands Field, the Moab, Utah, airport.

Duce Danuser will turn 70 in December, and there are just "too many damn tourists anymore" around Moab.

A few weeks ago, a Jeep came roaring through his camp and ran over one of his dogs.

"I about got arrested on that," Duce said.

If Duce weren't a short-timer, "I'd have shot the guy," he said.

Instead, he got mad and called in the sheriff.

Forgive Duce if he's cranky about the tourists. By himself, Duce has been taking care of 900 head of cattle for the past 24 winters, and it was only last year that he got an indoor bathroom at his camp near Dead Horse Point. The cattle he cares for are on leased Bureau of Land Management land between the Green River and U.S. Highway 191.

"I'd be in jail if I was in town," Duce said of his reason for living alone in a lonely place.

Well, not quite alone. He does have three horses and three dogs covered in Utah dirt: Pink, Frank (because it has blue eyes like Sinatra) and Peach. The dogs' pedigree is red heeler and white fuzzy dog, Duce joked as his leathery hands worked knots out of a bunch of vinyl rope.

By now, Duce's last spring roundup for Canyonlands Cattle Co. is over.

His exit from riding the company's leased range is something of a passing of an era.

His replacement may not be the easiest to find and won't be likely to stay with the job for nearly quarter of a century.

The big bucks aren't in cowboying.

There's lot more, check out the article and have fun! YeeHaw!!

Subject: RE: Song Challenge #Umpteen
From: Flash Company
Date: 14 Oct 06 - 10:57 AM

There was a song 'way back' called 'The West aint what it used to be' which more or less fits this situation.
A flavour of the original:-

No more you'll hear that song Home on the Range,
The Antelope and Deer are acting strange,
They sit around in bunches,
And feed on picnic lunches,
And the tourists say the West will never change!

I'll see if I can worki it u.

FC

Subject: RE: Song Challenge #Umpteen
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Oct 06 - 03:07 PM

But the thinkgis, back in 1982 you can be sure that most people would have said that cowboys were no more and that no one would ever lead that kind of life again, and they'd pointed to whoever was giving up on that job right then as being the Last Cowboy - and at the same time Duce was just setting up to start those 24 years riding the range.

I'd not be surprised if there's some maverick loner who turns up this time and takes on the role of Last Cowboy.

That might be the song...

Subject: RE: Song Challenge #Umpteen
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Oct 06 - 04:53 PM

I hope you are right, McGrath! Seems kinda sad if no one comes to take his place.:-)

Thanks, Flash, lookin' forward to it.

Subject: RE: Song Challenge #Umpteen
From: Amos
Date: 14 Oct 06 - 07:18 PM

Hell, there are plenty of cows still out there, and plenty of cowboys, too. They may ride ATVs instead of roans, but they're still rounding them up.

A

Subject: RE: Song Challenge #Umpteen
From: Bert
Date: 15 Oct 06 - 02:30 PM

Katmeluv, I can't help thinking of how your Dad would have loved that story.

Subject: RE: Song Challenge #Umpteen
From: SINSULL
Date: 15 Oct 06 - 02:41 PM

Reminds me of "The Last Roundup"

Subject: RE: Song Challenge #Umpteen
From: Flash Company
Date: 16 Oct 06 - 10:33 AM

This struck me this morning at breakfast, should have thought of it before really:-

Well as I was out riding this morning for pleasure,
I spied an old cowboy a-ridin' along,
His name it was Duce, and his spurs were a-jinglin',
As he approached me he was singin' this song

Whoopee ti ay oh slow down little dogies,
I aint quite as fast as I was long ago,
Whoopee ti ay oh, slow down little dogies,
I'm quittin' this range fore the wintery snow.

I've ridden this range now for twenty four winters,
I'm pushin' on seventy, my time can't be long,
Nine hundred cattle are too much for me now,
I guess I'll be learnin' to sing a new song

CH

Don't think I'm retiring, it aint in my nature,
I got to keep going to keep me alive,
I'll find a new pasture where the living is sweeter,
With my horses and dogs I intend to survive.

CH

Just don't ever ask me to work with them tourists,
They've ruined the range with their coaches an' all,
Though I say I'm quittin' it sure won't be easy,
Chance is I'll be back here before the next fall.

CH

We passed on the road and I tipped my hat to him,
The last of the breed that I'm likely to see,
There surely aint many who'd look to replace him,
But hell, hes a better man than you and me.

CH

Y'all know the tune,

Brian Quinn (Aka Flash Company)
October 2006