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
