Songs of the Cowboys (1908)/Sam Bass

Sam Bass was born in Indiana, it was his native home
And at the age of seventeen, young Sam began to roam
He first went down to Texas, a cow-boy bold to be
A kinder hearted fellow, you'd scarcely ever see.

​Sam used to deal in race stock, had one called the Denton mare
He watched her in scrub races, took her to the County Fair.
She always won the money, wherever she might be
He always drank good liquor, and spent his money free.

Sam left the Collins ranch in the merry month of May
With a herd of Texas cattle the Black Hills to see
Sold out in Custer City and all got on a spree
A harder lot of cow-boys you'd scarcely ever see.

On the way back to Texas, they robbed the U. P. train
All split up in couples and started out again
Joe Collins and his partner were overtaken soon
With all their hard earned money they had to meet their doom.

Sam made it back to Texas all right side up with care
Rode into the town of Denton his gold with friends to share
Sam's life was short in Texas 'count of robberies he'd do
He'd rob the passengers coaches the mail and express too

Sam had four bold companions, four bold and daring lads
Underwood and Joe Jackson, Bill Collins and Old Dad
They were four of the hardest cow-boys that Texas ever knew
They whipped the Texas Rangers and ran the hoys in blue

​Jonis borrowed of Sam's money and didn't want to pay
The only way he saw to win was to give poor Sam away
He turned traitor to his comrades they were caught one early morn
Oh what a scorching Jonis will get whem Gabriel blows his horn.

Sam met his fate in Round Rock July the twenty-first
They pierced poor Sam with rifle balls and emptied out his purse
So Sam is a corpse in Round Rock, Jonis is under the clay
And Joe Jackson in the bushes trying to get away.