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Dying Cowboy
(Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie)
"Oh, bury me not on the lone prairie,"
These words came low and mournfully
From the pallid lips of a youth who lay
On his dying bed at the close of day.
He had wailed in pain till o'er his brow
The Shadow of Death was gathering now.
He thought of his home and his loved ones nigh
As the cowboys gathered to see him die.
"Oh, bury me not on the lone prairie
Where the wild coyotes will howl over me,
In a narrow grave just six by three
Oh, bury me not on the lone prairie.
"It matters not, I've oft been told,
Where the body lies when the heart grows cold,
Yea grant, oh grant this wish to me,
And bury me not on the lone prairie.
"Oh, bury me not," and his voice failed
there
But we took no heed of his dying prayer;
In a narrow grave just six by three
We buried him there on the lone prairie.
Oh, we buried him there on the lone prairie
Where the rattle snakes rattle and the wind sports free,
Where the buffalo roams and the tumbleweeds
Will cover his grave on the lone prairie.
And the cowboys now as they roam the plains
They have marked the spot where his bones are lain
Fling a handful of roses o'er his grave
And pray to Him that his soul be saved.
The moon comes up when the sun goes down
And it lights the grave where we laid him down.
His pale young face never more we'll see,
We buried him there on the lone prairie.
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