He Grew up running with the Western Sioux Fighting crows, counting coup Til the buffalo jump cleared the plains Mr Winchester took what remained Lost his brother in the Indian Wars At Little Bighorn to Custers hoards But He took eight scalps, a bayonet hole, a Hard heart, and a revolving colt Oh knife, horse and blood, it dont pay to lose When the West is Won She was the daughter of a Mennonite hay farmer, she knew the prairie, the prairie knew hr Until the crop dried up and blew away from a lack of rain du to lack of faith So her daddy looked for work with hat in hand, took a job with the livery in Sutherland Til he got kicked by a green broke roan, never got up, never came home Hard work, horse and blood It dont pay to lose, when the West is Won So he took up riding in a western show Firing blanks of black powder smoke He killed General Custer every Friday night Watched him die in the kerosene light He got word about Wounded Knee, smoke twirled In the pale breeze He cried for blood, prayed for peace Cut his braid in the shade of a cottonwood tree Oh knife, horse and blood, it dont pay to lose, the West is Won Shes got forty acres of her own land, hunts what she could and grows what she can Sleeps with a lever action .44, she aint got no use for a man no more Orions Belt shining true, she says Ill search the sky for a sign of you Hell Ive done you proud, look at these hands and leaves the light on for her old man Hard work, horse and blood It dont pay to lose, when the West is Won
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