I'm An Old Cowhand (From The Rio Grande)

Written for: Rhythm On The Range (1936)
Lyric: Johnny Mercer
Music: Johnny Mercer & Harry Warren*
Year: 1936
Original publisher: Leo Feist, Inc.

Verse:

Step aside, you ornery tenderfeet,
Let a big bad buckeroo past.
I'm the toughest hombre you'll ever meet
Though I may be the last.
Yes, sir-ee, we're a vanishing race,
No, sir-ee, can't last long.
Step aside, you ornery tenderfeet,
While I sing my song:

Chorus 1:

I'm an old cowhand from the Rio Grande,
But my legs ain't bowed and my cheeks ain't tanned.
I'm a cowboy who never saw a cow,
Never roped a steer 'cause I don't know how;
And I sho' ain't fixin' to start in now.
Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay,
Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay.

Chorus 2:

I'm an old cowhand from the Rio Grande,
And I learned to ride 'fore I learned to stand.
I'm a ridin' fool who is up-to-date,
I know ev'ry trail in the Lone Star State,
'Cause I ride the range in a Ford V-Eight.
Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay,
Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay.

Chorus 3:

I'm an old cowhand from the Rio Grande,
And I come to town just to hear the band.
I know all the songs that the cowboys know,
'Bout the big corral where the doagies go,
'Cause I learned them all on the radio.
Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay,
Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay.

Chorus 4:

I'm an old cowhand from the Rio Grande,
Where the West is wild 'round the Borderland;
Where the buffalo roam around the zoo,
And the Indians make you a rug or two,
And the old Bar X is a Bar-B-Q.
Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay,
Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay.

Chorus 5 (from British sheet music):

I'm an old cowhand from the Rio Grande,
And I've done retired, living on the land.
I spend all my time at the Hotel Bar,
With a gin and lime and a big cigar,
'Cause my old ranch hoss is a movie star.
Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay,
Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay.


*- Harry Warren was never credited on any published versions of the sheet music nor did he receive any royalties for this song, but he contributed quite a bit to the music aspect, and thus gets songwriting credit here.