In eighteen-hundred and fifty-three
I joined the immigrant band
We marched on San Antonio
Down by the Rio Grande
I went out on the prairie
I learned to throw the line
I did not pocket the money
I did not dress so fine
I went out on the prairie
I learned to rob and steal
And when I robbed the cowboys
How happy I did feel
I wore my wide brimmed high hat
My saddle too was fine
And when I courted the pretty girls
You could bet I'd call them mine
I courted her for her beauty
I courted her in vain
They carried me down to Dallas
To wear a ball and chain
I am the bravest cowboy
That ever rode the west
I've been all across the Rockies
Got bullets in my breast