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 a team, we hauled 'em down

Build 'em and we stacked 'em up

Plowed some bottom ground

Traded for some cattle

Turned 'em 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 neighbors stopped by yesterday

While I was outside chopping wood

To fill me in on the local news

There ain't none of it that sounded good

Said there been some cattle stealing

By some no-count outlaw band

We've all be branded rustlers

By the big ranchers of this land

So it's us against the cattlemen

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

'Bout the two Dry Gulch attacks

Ranger 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 a chance

Said the cattlemen, they're hired guns

Just burned the KC 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 cattlemen at the TA Ranch

And surrounded all four sides

They held the house with bullets

Swore they were gonna pay

Then the calvary came across the plains

Once again, they saved the day

Well, they marched them off to Cheyenne

No one went to jail

The cattlemen 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 shore

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