johnson county war

headed for wyoming in 1882

a woman

a team and a wagon gonna make our dreams come true

settled in the foothills of the bighorn 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 the team we hauled 'em down

peeled 'em and we stacked 'em up

piles in 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 shores

when you brand a man a rustler

he's gotta take a side

there's no middle ground in this johnson county war

well the neighbors stopped by yesterday while i was outside chopping wood

they filled me in on the local news

there ain't none of it that sounded good

said there'd been some cattle stealing

by some no count outlaw band

we'd all been branded rustlers by the big ranchers of this land

so it was 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 the story about the two dry tax

ranger jones and john tisdale

both shot in the back

oh

powder river

you're muddy and you're wide

how many men have died along your shores

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 kaycee 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 and every man saddled up to ride

they caught the cattle men at the ta ranch and surrounded all four sides

they hailed the house with bullets

swore they were gonna pay

then the cavalry 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 baron's beef

old powder river

you're muddy and you're wide

how many men have died along your shores

when you brand a man a rustler

he's gotta take a side

there's no middle ground in this johnson county war

there's no middle ground in this johnson county war