Little Joe The Wrangler Lyrics - Chris Ledoux

Little Joe the Wrangler, he'll wrangle never more 

His days with the remuda, they're all done 

It was long about last April, he rode into our camp 

Just a little Texas stray and all alone 

It was long late in the evening when he rode into our camp 

On a little old brown pony he called Shaw 

In his Brogan shoes and coveralls a harder lookin' kid 

You never in your life have seen before 

His saddle was a southern kack built many years ago 

An OK spur on one foot idly hung 

With his bed roll in a cotton sack, was loosely tied behind 

And a canteen from the saddle horn he'd slung 

Said he had to leave his home because his pa had married twice 

His new ma beat him every day or two 

So he saddled up old Shaw one night and lit a shuck this way 

Thought he'd try and paddle now his own canoe 

Said he'd try to do the best he could if we'd only give him work 

Though he didn't know straight up about a cow 

So the boss he cut him out a mount and kinda put him on 

And we knew he liked our little stray somehow 

Well, he taught him how to herd the horses, learned to know 'em all 

And to get 'em in by daylight if he could 

And to follow the chuck wagon and to always hitch the team 

And to help the carsonaro rustle wood 

We had driven to red river and the weather it was fine 

We were camped down on the south side in a bend 

When a norther started blowin', we called the extra guard 

'Cause it took all hands to hold the cattle in 

Now Little Joe the Wrangler was called out with all the rest 

And barely had the kid got to the herd 

When the cattle they stampeded like a hailstorm, on they flew 

With all of us a ridin' for the lead 

Between the streaks of lightnin' we could see a horse ahead 

It was Little Joe the Wrangler in the lead 

He was riding old Blue Rocket with a slicker o'er his head 

He was trying to check the leaders in their speed 

We finally got 'em millin' and they sort of quieted down 

The extra guard back to the camp did go 

All but one of them was missing and we all knew at a glance 

T'was our little Texas stray boy Wrangler Joe 

We found him there at sun up where old Blue Rocket fell 

In a washout some twenty feet below 

Beneath his horse smashed to a pulp, his spur had rung the knell 

For our little Texas stray boy Wrangler Joe 

Now Little Joe the Wrangler, he'll wrangle never more 

His days with the remuda, they're all done 

It was long about last April he rode into our camp 

Just a little Texas stray and all alone