Johnson County War

Headed for Wyoming in 1882
A woman, a team and a dragon
gonna make our dreams come true
Settled in the foothills of the big,
worn mountain slopes
Life was sweet, we lived on the meat of
the Deer and the Antelope

We cut house logs up on the mountain
with a team we hauled 'em down
Built and we stacked 'em up
[?] some bottom ground
Traded for some cattle,
turned them out on the open range
Skies were blue but we never knew
how things were gonna change

Old Powder River, you're muddy
and you're wide
How many men have died along your shore
When you brand a man a rustler,
he's gotta take a side
There's no middle ground in this Johnson County War

When the neighbours stopped by yesterday
while I was outside chopping wood
To fill me in on the local news
ain't none of it sounded good
Said there's been some cattle stealing
by some local outlaw band
We'd all been branded rustlers
by the big ranchers of this land

So it's us against the cattle men
and the years just made it worse
First the drought and then the tough winter
Johnson County been dealt a curse
Then there came a story about the two [?]
Harrisson Jones and John Tisdale, both shot in
the back

Old Powder River, you're muddy
and you're wide
How many men have died along your shore
When you brand a man a rustler,
he's gotta take a side
There's no middle ground in this Johnson County War

Then last night at supper time
well a rider stopped by chance
He said the cattle men, their hired guns
just burned the Casey ranch
Two men had died this morning
Shot down in the snow
Now the vigilante army was on the march to Buffalo

Well the county was in an uproar
every man saddled up to ride
They got the cattle men at the T.A ranch
And surrounded all four sides
They [?] the house with bullets
swore they were [?]
Then the calvary came from across the plains
once again they saved the day

Well they marched them off to Cheyenne
No one went to jail
The cattle men were all turned loose
and their hired guns hit the trail
And I guess the only justice
wasn't much to say the least
Last winter me and mine ate mighty fine
on the cattle burns beef

Old Powder River, you're muddy
and you're wide
How many men have died along your shore
When you brand a man a rustler,
he's gotta take a side
No middle ground in this Johnson County War

There's no middle ground in this Johnson County War