The Fence That Me and Shorty Built Wed picked up all the fencing tools And staples off the road. An extra roll of bob wire Was the last thing left to load. I drew a sleeve across my face To wipe away the dirt. The young man who was helping me Was tuckin in his shirt. I turned around to him and said, This fence is finally done, With five new strands of bob wire Shinin proudly in the sun. The wire is runnin straight and tight With every post in line. The kinda job youre proud of, One that stands the test of time. The kid was not impressed at all, He stared off into space. Reminded me of years ago, Another time and place. I called myself a cowboy, I was full of buck and bawl I didnt think my hands would fit Post augers and a maul. They sent me out with Shorty And the ranch fence building crew. Well, I was quite insulted And before the day was through, I let him know that Im a cowboy, This aint what I do. I aint no dadgummed nester, I hired out to buckaroo. He said, Well talk about that son, When we get in tonight. Right now you pick them augers up. Its either that or fight. Boy, I was diggin post holes Faster than a Georgia mole. But if a rock got in my way I simply moved the hole. So when the cowboys set the posts, The line went in and out. Old Shortys face got fiery red And I can hear him shout. Nobody but a fool would build A fence that isnt straight. I got no use for someone who aint Pullin his own weight. I thought for sure hed hit me Glad he didnt have a gun. I looked around to find a place Where I could duck and run. But Shorty walked up to me Just as calm as he could be. Said, Son, I need to talk to you, Lets find ourselves a tree. He rolled a Bull Durham cigarette As we sat on the ground. He took himself a puff or two Then slowly looked around. Son, I aint much on schoolin, Didnt get too far with that. But theres alot of learnin Hidden underneath this hat. I got it all the hard way, Every bump and bruise and fall. Now some of it was easy, But then most werent fun atall But one thing that I always got From every job Ive done, Is do the best I can each day And try to make it fun. I know that bustin through them rocks Aint what you like to do. By gettin mad youve made it tough On me and all the crew. Now you hired on to cowboy And you think youve got the stuff. You told him youre a good hand And the boss has called your bluff. So hows that gonna make you look When he comes ridin through, And he asks me who dug the holes And I say it was you. Now we could let it go like this And take the easy route. But doin things the easy way Aint what its all about. The boss expects a job well done, From every man hes hired. Hell let you slide by once or twice, Then one day youll get fired. If youre not proud of what you do, You wont amount to much. Youll bounce around from job to job Just slightly out of touch. Come mornin lets re-dig those holes And get that fence in line. And you and I will save two jobs, Those bein yours and mine. And someday youll come ridin through And look across this land, And see a fence thats laid out straight And know you had a hand, In something thats withstood the years. Then proud and free from guilt, Youll smile and say, Boys thats the fence That me and Shorty built. -- Red Steagall
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 03:49:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015