Little Joe the Wrangler, he'll never more His days with the remuda, all done It was long about April, he rode into our camp Just a Texas stray and all alone
It was late in the evening when he rode into our camp On a little old pony he called Shaw In his Brogan shoes and a harder lookin' kid You never in your life seen before
His saddle was a southern kack built many ago An OK spur on one foot idly his bed roll in a cotton sack, was loosely tied behind And a canteen from the saddle horn slung
Said he had to leave his home because his pa had twice His new ma him every day or two So he saddled up old Shaw one night and lit a this way Thought try and paddle now his own canoe
Said he'd try to do the best he could if we'd only him work he didn't know straight up about a cow So the boss he cut him out a mount and put him on And we knew he liked our stray somehow
Well, he taught him how to herd the horses, to know 'em all And to get 'em in by if he could And to follow the chuck wagon and to always hitch the And to help the carsonaro wood
We had to red river and the weather it was fine We were down on the south side in a bend When a norther blowin', we called the extra guard 'Cause it took all hands to the cattle in
Now Little Joe the was called out with all the rest And had the kid got to the herd When the cattle stampeded like a hailstorm, on they flew all of us a ridin' for the lead
Between the streaks of we could see a horse ahead It was Little Joe the in the lead He was old Blue Rocket with a slicker o'er his head He was trying to check the in their speed
We got 'em millin' and they sort of quieted down The guard back to the camp did go All but one of them was missing and we all at a glance T'was our little stray boy Wrangler Joe
We found him there at sun up where old Blue Rocket In a washout some feet below Beneath his horse to a pulp, his spur had rung the knell For our little Texas stray boy Joe
Now Little Joe the Wrangler, he'll wrangle never His days with the remuda, they're all It was long about April he rode into our camp Just a little Texas stray and all