The Bird Hunters

Well, the covey took wing

Shotgun's a-singing

A pointin' dog down in the old logging road

And Danny got three

And looked back a-grinnin'

I fumbled around and I tried to reload

The country was cold

With the sun westward sinkin'

It's good to be back in this place

With my hands around

A Belgian-made Browning

My mind on the lines of her face

Well now, Danny's my buddy

We grew up like family

Hunted this timber before we could drive

And the old English pointer

He once belonged to me

But I gave him up when I moved in '05

Off with a girl

Off to the city

Off on a wing and a chance

Hell, I thought it'd play out

Just like some story

We fell in love at a rodeo dance

She said go on back to Cherokee County

Won't you crawl back with nothin' but a razor and a comb

Says babe, if you need me, I'll be where you found me

Go on to Hell, honey, I'm headed home

Dan says look at old Jim

A dozen Decembers

Behind him, no worse for the wear

And your time spent in Tulsa

Did not help your shootin'

And look at the gray in your hair

How good does it feel?

You belong in these hills

It's best that you let it all end

You'd have married that girl

You'd have married her family

You dodged a bullet, my friend

She said go on back to Cherokee County

Won't you crawl back with nothin' but a razor and a comb

Says babe, if you need me, I'll be where you found me

Go on to Hell, honey, I'm headed home

Oh, I was beginnin'

To deal with it ending

The old dog had pointed while part of me died

And a flutter of feathers

Then a shotgun to shoulder

I thought of the Fourth of July

She'd be home on the Fourth of July

Bet we'd dance on the Fourth of July

Dan says hell of a shot

Looks like you still got it

That's what we came here to do

Well, it's light enough still

At the foot of the hill

We could kick up a single or two

She said go on back to Cherokee County

Won't you crawl back with nothin' but a razor and a comb

Says babe, if you need me, I'll be where you found me

Go on to Hell, honey, I'm headed home

Go on to Hell, honey, I'm headed home