Ballad of Big
Big Jim Cooley Commanded Respect, Whatever He Wanted He Could Get.
The Badge On His Waistcoat Shone in the Sun.
It Ain't no Lie, Big Jim Was Feared By Everyone.
In the Saloon One Evening Big Took a Bet
With a Rancher Whose Name I Forget.
He Wanted a Herd Taken Over the Plain,
And He Called Jim `yellow', He'll Never Do That Again.
He Got Mad!
He Threw His Badge On the Floor and Walked Out,
He's Gonna Give It a Try, He Left no Doubt.
"Must Be Mad, Must Be Mad"!
The People Wished Him Well, and Good Luck.
"Hell, I Don't Need It"! He Laughed , Got On
His Horse and Rode Away.
Over On the Trail, Jim 'n' His Crew of Five
Were Trying Their Best to Keep the Cattle Alive.
The Weather Was Hard, But So Were the Men,
Though I Don't Think Even Jim'll Try This Trip Again.
His Horses Were Edgy, Sensing Trouble Ahead,
But the Trouble Didn't Start Till the Men Were in Bed
A-whooping and A-hollering and Flashing Their Knives,
Big and His Men Were Jumped By An All-star Indian Tribe.
He Was Scared, Big Jim Was Scared
Alive, They Called Him Lucky, But Not Today.
Cos He Died Like All Good Cowboys With His Boots On Next to His Men.
Big Jim, He Still Won't Lie Down,
For Him the Bet Is Still On.
Some Say He Rides There, Cursing Still.
Some Say They've Seen Him.
Balada de Big
Big Jim Cooley Comandaba respeto, lo que quería lo conseguía.
La placa en su chaleco brillaba en el sol.
No es mentira, Big Jim era temido por todos.
En el salón una noche, Big hizo una apuesta
Con un ranchero cuyo nombre olvidé.
Quería llevar un rebaño por la llanura,
Y llamó a Jim 'amarillo', nunca más lo hará.
¡Se enojó!
Tiró su placa al suelo y se fue,
Iba a intentarlo, no quedaba duda.
'¡Debe estar loco, debe estar loco'!
La gente le deseaba suerte y buena suerte.
'¡Diablos, no la necesito'! Se rió, subió
A su caballo y se fue.
En el sendero, Jim y su equipo de cinco
Intentaban mantener vivas al ganado.
El clima era duro, pero también lo eran los hombres,
Aunque no creo que ni siquiera Jim vuelva a intentar este viaje.
Sus caballos estaban inquietos, sintiendo problemas por delante,
Pero los problemas no empezaron hasta que los hombres estaban en la cama
Gritando y sacando sus cuchillos,
Big y sus hombres fueron atacados por una tribu india estelar.
Tenía miedo, Big Jim tenía miedo
Vivo, lo llamaban afortunado, pero no hoy.
Porque murió como todos los buenos vaqueros con sus botas puestas junto a sus hombres.
Big Jim, aún no se acuesta,
Para él la apuesta sigue en pie.
Algunos dicen que cabalga allí, maldiciendo aún.
Algunos dicen que lo han visto.'