Old Time Vaquero.....

This has got to be one of my favorite songs in the world.

No lie. 

Getting a chance to write with my daddy always makes me happy and always brings about a different aspect to my writing lyrics than writing by myself does.

This song particularly means something to me because of the message it holds. I hope and I always wish that my generation of young people would take the time to listen and learn from the last generation. 

I frequently seem to hear a reoccurring theme of "Oh, that person is OLD. They don't have anything to teach me, I know everything & I don't need to learn anything new." 

This attitude doesn't do anything for anyone. Especially the young person in question. Disregarding the lessons and experiences that someone who might have a few more wrinkles than you is quite honestly, in my mind, plain silly! 

I have learned so much from folks who have lived more years than myself. 

The cowboy who takes the time out when we are working to give me a tip to help me with my horse, or tells me a story with a hidden meaning that I'm supposed to learn from.

The time I get to spend with my daddy learning about his life as a boy and his journey into becoming a successful businessman, buckaroo, saddlemaker, professor, trapper....and most importantly in my mind - father.

The homes in our country that hold our last generation, hold the wealth of our civilization in my mind. Inside the gray walls of these "old folks homes," there sits the people who have shaped a nation. Raised our families, braved our country's hardships. Fought for our freedom, and watched as our generation has put technology and the latest reality TV show on a pedestal. And by our actions, we put more importance on these "hip" things than our history and those that made it.

I try to never ignore the subtle lessons that those who have come before us try to teach. Sometimes I fail, but I am always trying. There is always something we can learn from somebody, no matter who it is - there is always a lesson there. Especially that person in the corner, with a wealth of knowledge just waiting to be tapped into. 

All you have to do is listen.

xoxo

~Adrian Buckaroogirl 

Old Time Vaquero

Lyrics: Adrian and David Brannan

Music: Adrian Brannan

Old Time vaquero, what do you mean to me?

When you look through milky blue eyes, that never really see.

Old time vaquero, what do you mean to me?

A relic left over from the last century.

Oh, you could tell some tales to a youngster like me,

Please Mister, tell me your life’s history.

Scuffed boots and old hat, ancient A fork saddle,

Times have been changing way too fast for this vaquero.

No one wants to hire an old timer like me,

Throw me out the window, you young folks please,

These days.

And I could show those rodeo kids, how to ride them broncs,

Show those team ropers, how to make a steer stop.

And I could tell some tales, about the West when it was wild,

But I’m just an old vaquero, who no one wants to hear…anymore.    

I ran with Will James, I sang with the coyotes,

I rescued dusky maidens from the bad man’s clutches.

Now I’m an old man sitting here alone,

Nobody wants to hear my tales about how the West wasn’t won,

So long ago, so long ago.

Chased those wild Caballos, across the big Owyhee,

Man I wish was back in that rolling sagebrush sea.

I miss the thrill of the chase, I miss my old time friends,

But most of the time, I miss the feel of that wild Nevada wind,

It’s blowing down across Idaho to the old YP,

I wish it could blow away time and bring the desert back to me.

Some buckaroos like Will became well known,

But most lived out their days longing for their desert home.

And sonny thank you for your time, it was nice that you would ask,

But if you want the truth, you’ll have to live the cowboy task.

So pack up your gear and find a place out in the sagebrush sea,

And once you feel that Nevada wind, you’ll know the pain inside of me.

Old time Vaquero, now I understand,

What the Nevada desert means to a broken old man….