Famous poet /0 - 1

K Tolliver

The Rambling Cowboy

There was a rich old rancher who lived in the country by,
He had a lovely daughter on whom I cast my eye;
She was pretty, tall, and handsome, both neat and very fair,
There's no other girl in the country with her I could compare.

I asked her if she would be willing for me to cross the plains;
She said she would be truthful until I returned again;
She said she would be faithful until death did prove unkind,
So we kissed, shook hands, and parted, and I left my girl behind.

I left the State of Texas, for Arizona I was bound;
I landed in Tombstone City, I viewed the place all 'round.
Money and work were plentiful and the cowboys they were kind
But the only thought of my heart was the girl I left behind.

One day as I was riding across the public square
The mail-coach came in and I met the driver there;
He handed me a letter which gave me to understand
That the girl I left in Texas had married another man.

I turned myself all 'round and about not knowing what to do,
But I read on down some further and it proved the words were true.
Hard work I have laid over, it's gambling I have designed.
I'll ramble this wide world over for the girl I left behind.

Come all you reckless and rambling boys who have listened to this song,
If it hasn't done you any good, it hasn't done you any wrong;
But when you court a pretty girl, just marry her while you can,
For if you go across the plains she'll marry another man.

Analysis (ai): The poem follows a traditional ballad structure to convey betrayal and loss within a romantic relationship, centered on a cowboy’s heartbreak after his fiancée marries another during his absence. The narrative emphasizes personal loyalty contrasted with perceived female fickleness, reinforcing gendered expectations common in frontier literature.

Form and Structure: Employing quatrains with a consistent ABCB rhyme scheme and ballad meter, the poem adheres to folk traditions popular in oral storytelling. Its rhythmic regularity and repetitive refrain make it suitable for musical adaptation, aligning with nineteenth-century cowboy songs.

Historical Context: Composed in a late 19th-century idiom, it mirrors the transient lifestyle of cowboys during westward expansion, where physical separation strained personal relationships. Unlike more idealized frontier tales, this work highlights emotional vulnerability among male figures, a less common focus in cowboy lore.

Comparison to Contemporaneous Works: Unlike contemporaneous dime novel heroes who embody stoic masculinity, the speaker expresses emotional distress and aims to cope through rambling and gambling, behaviors signaling internal conflict rather than resolution. This aligns more closely with folk laments than with heroic western archetypes.

Relation to Author’s Oeuvre: Though obscure, this poem reflects recurring motifs in the author’s marginal works—loneliness, migration, and romantic disillusionment—often set against Western backdrops. It stands out for its first-person emotional directness, contrasting with the author’s otherwise more observational tone.

Engagement with Modern Concerns: Despite its traditional form, the poem subtly critiques the expectation of female fidelity without reciprocal accountability, a theme that resonates in later discussions of gender equity. The man’s punishment—aimless travel—is framed as inevitable, inviting quiet questioning of social norms.

Less-Discussed Angle: Rather than portraying the woman as unfaithful, the poem’s real tension lies in the absence of communication—she may have believed he abandoned her. The letter serves not as proof of betrayal but as a symbol of disconnection inherent in mobile lives, a nuance often overlooked.

Cultural Function: The closing didactic stanza frames the story as cautionary advice, typical of folk ballads. However, its self-aware modesty (“it hasn’t done you any wrong”) undercuts moral certainty, suggesting the speaker doubts his own authority to judge.

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