Song Lyrics - Just a Simple Cowboy

Hi folks,

Here are the lyrics to my latest song “Just a Simple Cowboy” that I wrote a couple of weeks ago, that I had the pleasure of giving a Fringe debut. After the lyrics, there is a simple explanation of the song. I hope you enjoy -

Just a Simple Cowboy

 

I was born in Louisiana

In the land of the Choupiqui

The Captain, his wife

And a troubled boy called “me”

 

In the Crescent City

Walks the souls like you and me

Whom death they tried to cheat

But it’s never meant to be

 

The Captain taught me how to kill

A hundred miles from the coast

He was a simple sailor killing

Vampires and ghosts

 

The Captain got too slow one night

And copped one in the neck

So I headed on out West

To get away from all this heck

 

I got me a horse and rope

Joined the cowboys on the range

But peace didn’t last long

Camping out beyond La Grange

 

Injun Joe came back to life

And killed us all, almost

He didn’t figure on a cowboy killing

Vampires and ghosts

 

Seven years on the land

Huntin’ vampires down

Killing thirty out on the trail

And a hundred in your town

 

If my blood looks good to you

And you want to grab a bite

You’ll answer to my Winchester

Cause I have you in my sights

 

If you die and walk the streets again

Then your ass is toast

Cause I’m a simple cowboy killing

Vampires and ghosts

 

I went on to the Chicken Ranch

To get myself a gal

I called in to the lobby and

Down came Miss Bell

 

“I heard of a dark-haired beauty

Her name is Raven Knight”

She came on up to my room

And blew out the light

 

I tore her skirts in two

And tied her to the posts

“I don’t mean no disrespect mam

Are you a vampire or a ghost?”

 

When I draw too slow

They’ll suck my cold blood dry

It’s the fate of the hunter

To wither and to die

 

Point that stake right at my heart

And pound that bad boy down

Say a prayer and bury me deep

Deep beneath the ground

 

I’ll stand in judgement for my crime

Before the Heavenly Host

He’ll ask what deeds shame a man like me

What scares me the most

 

I’ll tell him I’m not perfect

And I’m not a man to boast

I was just a simple cowboy killing

Vampires and ghosts

 

Words and Music © Copyright 2013 Jamie McPherson

Written 26 February 2013

 

This song, of all things, was inspired by a video game on my phone. Welcome to the 21st Century! With my upcoming Fringe show entitled ‘Life, Love and the Death of a Cowboy’, I thought it was time to write another song. One in which the hero dies. I couldn’t think of a better subject than a simple cowboy hunting and killing vampires and ghosts. My cross genre song

A bit like my other songs, geography plays a big role. To me, if you can set a geographical location, the song is half written. It gives a sense of place and time. We are all very visually orientated, so it makes it easier for the listener to picture the song in their head if they can relate to the places it is coming from. And, I also love the journey from one place to another. It sits in well with the characters journey. A journey of place, a journey of life.

The places I used in this song are all real. Louisiana, New Orleans and La Grange. The Crescent City is another nickname for New Orleans. I wanted the story to start down South and move West (“Go West young man!”). The Choupiqui are the Native American tribe of that area. And, being on the Mississippi, I thought his father would have to be a riverboat captain. A simple sailor living a hundred miles from the coast. The Chicken Ranch was an actual brothel just outside of La Grange. And of course there is your town. This is yours and for your imagination only

So, this young man is trained by his father to kill vampires and ghosts, but then his death prompts him to try to escape this violent world. Only to discover that there is an unatural violence everywhere, and only he is equipped to deal with it.

Of course the story ends with the death of the hunter. It’s the old saying of “he who lives by the sword, shall die by the sword”. The reality of a violent world is that the good guy will eventually die. And of course, death is not the final word. One must answer for ones life and actions.

So, I hope you enjoy my lyrics to Just a Simple Cowboy. It was fun playing it live and I look forward to recording it one day when my studio is up and running again. In the meantime, if you want to see the chords for the song, they are on my website at www.jamiemcpherson.com.au

Beannachd leat,

Jamie