Link to Utah USU Special Collection home page

FOLK COLLECTION 11: The Skaggs Foundation Cowboy Poetry Collection

Date of Items: 1890-present
Register Prepared by: Randy Williams and Susan Gross, April 2004
Register Updated by: Randy Williams, 23 December 2009
Excel database transfered to MYSQL and uploaded (replacing PHP data): Colin Jackson, Fall 2010
MYSQL database updated: Randy Williams, January 2012
Linear Feet:20

Historical Note & Provenance

Folk Coll 11 is Utah State University's cowboy poetry collection. The collection, originally created by a generation donation by the L. J. and Mary Skaggs Foundation, includes books gathered during a fieldwork project in the early 1980s to document cowboy poetry in the U.S. west (see Folk Coll 11f). From this important fieldwork project came the impetus for the first Cowboy Poetry Gathering held in January 1985 in Elko, Nevada. Since that time, each January, the Fife Folklore Archives staff take the collection and Access database (that details each book, poem, author, first line and key words), to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering for offsite use. Through University purchases and generation donations from poets and collectors, this collection continues to grow.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of 20 linear feet of books on cowboy poetry, including press and self published works. The collection can be accessed through USU Libraries online catalog.


As well, poem titles and keywords found in each book in the collection are included in the database below. To use, type in the search term. Tip: Try and use an uncommon word from the poem to ensure less "hits." For instance, if you enter "boots" you will get many hits; but if you enter "bones" you will most liley get fewer "hits" or poems and find the item you seek faster. To return to the search page, click "home" at the bottom of the page.

Search:

Poetry table.

First Previous Next Last
IDBook TitleComposerIndexPagesAuthorPoem TitleFirst LinesKeywords
727 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 29 S. Omar Barker Bruin Wooin' The track of the bear that had killed Carson's pig. tracking, nester, dog, squatter, homesteader, fair maid, Bill Maginnis, buckaroo, smile, hunt, hunting, hunter, cave, dark, mongrels, barking, odor, smell, daughter, switch, damsel, brave, bravery, bold, riding a bear, pistol, shot, kill, dead, brag, bragging, marriage, wife, moral, bold, nesters
728 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 31 S. Omar Barker Cow Country Drouth Oh, ride the dry river and ride the gray hill. wind, sun, scorched, grass, starvation, cattle, hungry, desolate, dry, water, food, parched, parch, death, dried waterholes, hope, rain, drought
729 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 31 S. Omar Barker Texas Zephyr To figger how hard the wind blows. Texas plains, fresh-killed beef, logging chains, skin, skinned, hide
730 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 32 S. Omar Barker A Cowboy's Christmas Prayer I ain't much good at prayin', and You may not know me, Lord. God, religion, belief, Merry Christmas, church, Thy Holy Word, cattle, gratitude, thankful, grateful, spirit, God's handiwork, friend, friendship, Jesus, savior, kindness, bless, blessings, hunger, hungry, starve, starvation, chuck, free, freedom, future son of man
731 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 33 S. Omar Barker Cowboys For Sure Go ride the high mesa and ride the low plain. cowpuncher, cow puncher, cattle, saddle, gallop, cinch, trust, chaps, spurs, hat, clothing, gear, outfit, yodel, guitar
732 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 35 S. Omar Barker Old time Cowboys Proudly they rode, those horseback men. day long gone, past, history, longhorn cattle, pride, hartihood, hartiness, dust, dusty, cattle trail, northern star, pride, bold men and true
733 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 35 S. Omar Barker Cowpuncher's Creed The cowpuncher's creed is as simple as pie. cowpuncher, sweat, die, cow, cows, ride, rope, wrangle, God, Lord, belief, thank, gratitude, grateful, thankful
734 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 36 S. Omar Barker Curly Wolf College I went up to a college and they asked me what I knowed. school, education, smart, intelligence, history, Fort Worth, Ft. Worth, Adam, Texas, Texan, market, steer, algebra, philosophy of life, snub, snubbing post, snubbin' post, grammar, professor, teacher, knowledge, mind, bridle
735 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 37 S. Omar Barker Portrait of a Puncher Dee Bibb's a nol' cowpoke I've known for some years. ride, broncos, steer, rodeo, arena, longhorn ox, bulldogging, bulldogger, roping, calf roping, funny, good natured, good humored, humor, joke, cowpoke
736 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 39 S. Omar Barker Jackrabbits Jackrabbits are a lanky crew. jack rabbit, hare, wildlife, fleas, startle
737 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 40 S. Omar Barker The Little Wolves This is the song of the coyote clan. wildlife, wild animal, moon, yellow eyes, padded feet, howling, howl
738 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 41 S. Omar Barker King of the Wagon When coosie drives the wagon with the roundup in full swing. pride, cook, chuck, chuck wagon, chuckwagon, food, foodways, cattle drive, trail drive, cow camp, cow camp, team, reins
739 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 42 S. Omar Barker Trail Talk When cowboys git to heaven and them angels ask'em how. death, heaven, danger, risk, occupation
740 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 43 S. Omar Barker Lariat Labor There ain't no use in claimin' that the cowboy ain't a man. wages, honest dollar, picket line, strikes, raise, raises, attitude, loyalty, freedom, money, salary, work
741 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 43 S. Omar Barker The Word Don't Matter When a bronco gives way to his man-throwin' itch. buck, bucking bronco, bucking horse, pitch, throwed
742 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 44 S. Omar Barker Brandin' the Calves Some say brandin's cruel, and maybe it is. beef, business, brand, branding iron, thief, rustler, rustling, calf
743 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 45 S. Omar Barker Buckaroo's Best Bet If I had to be an animal instead of what I am. animal, critter, horse, cow pony, tame, wild, cow punching
744 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 46 S. Omar Barker Cowboy Factory--Old Style The town kid was a runaway. runaway, roustabout, childhood, youth, odd jobs, kack, saddle, pride, proud, chores, throwed, get back on again, buck, the right stuff
745 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 47 S. Omar Barker The Tie-Fast Men This is the way of the tie-fast men. ride the range, rope, roping, noose, tie, tied, saddle horn
746 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 49 S. Omar Barker Cowboy's Likin's As long as he's staddlin' a horse with his knees.
747 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 50 S. Omar Barker Buckaroo's Squelch Two buckaroos were rivals in the bronco ridin' game. Breezy, Rusty, wild and loud, mild and tame, boast, argue, winning, losing, rodeo, competition, bucking bronco, throw, throwed, saddle, brag, bragging
748 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 51 S. Omar Barker Vaquero's Valentine I rode a buckskin pony and she rode a nester's mule. youth, romance, courtship, courting, girlfriend, boyfriend, dating, Red Canyon school, paper lace, heart, cupid, lizards, lizards, lizard, tease, red hair, lickin', licking, whipped, whipping, school days, Janie, monkeyshines, nester, mule, nesters
749 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 52 S. Omar Barker The Wagon They asked me "What's this Wagon that we hear so much about?
750 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 53 S. Omar Barker John Booth's Ride In Texas on the Trinity, many's the year agone. neighbors, feud, argue, murder, killing, shooting, death, pistol, gun, shotgun, son, restitution, vengeance
751 Songs of the Saddlemen FC 11 B-06 54 S. Omar Barker Canned Termaters Them old time western cowboys mostly ate what they could git. tomatoes, grub, chuck, Eagle milk, corn, sardines, cans, vitamins, food, vittles, juicy, cut a can, cooking, appetite, hunger,