Well I’ve got a story to tell you
I think it’s something that should be told
Some people think that you’re going to lose it
Just because you’re starting to look old
Well when we are getting long in the tooth
We sometimes remember without even trying
The young folks may think that we’re bragging
And the old folks, well, they think that we’re lying
Why the older the fiddle the sweeter the music
And plenty of good tunes left on this old frame
I’m pretty sure I still have all my marbles
But I’m not sure that I ever played the game
So I’m not even going to try and fight it
This old age and I’ll tell you because
We can use this old age to advantage you see
The older we get, well, the better we was
Now I remember back in my rodeo days
I’d throw my saddle on anything that grew hair
And roll me a twirley just using one hand
Blowing smoke rings rights up in the air
That’s when I noticed my luck was a’changing
It sure wasn’t for the better of course
Standing there in the chute was a big buckskin gelding
Named Widowmaker, the unrideable horse
I got down in my saddle and gathered my rein
And got set for that 10-second wait
I just knew that first place buckle was mine —
And then some darned fool opened the gate.
“Old Cowboys” was excerpted from Cowboy Memories, published in 2008 by Vic Stuckey.