Cowboy Movie
David Crosby Lyrics

Me and my good partners we were riding back to our camp
The singer and his team had completed a successful robbery and were heading back to their hideout.

We were feeling very fine air was clear and slightly damp
The weather was pleasant and the singer and his team were in high spirits.

We were riding back to have ourselves a party
The team was planning to celebrate their successful heist.

To celebrate the robbing of the train
The celebratory party was going to be in honor of the successful train robbery.

We were talking kind of low and lazy
The team was having relaxed conversation about their recent success.

About not having to go out soon again, oh yeah
They were glad that they didn't have to attempt another heist anytime soon.

You know we hadn't been back home two hours
It had only been a short while since they had returned to their hideout.

We heard a hawk cry out in the night
The team heard a signal from their lookout, Billy, that indicated something was wrong.

And you know that's a signal from young Billy, who's our sentry
The team recognized that the hawk cry was a signal from their lookout, Billy.

He's saying something here ain't exactly right, oh
Billy's signal indicated that there was trouble nearby.

So we quick grabbed some of our hardware
The team gathered their weapons in order to prepare for whatever was coming.

Stumbled out of our home
The team quickly left their hideout, alert and ready for danger.

Two minutes flat we had found her, an Indian girl all alone
The team encountered an Indian girl who was by herself.

And Eli said, "Let's take her back to the cabin"
Eli, one of the team members, suggested that they take the Indian girl back to their hideout.

I said, "You don't know she might be the law, yeah"
The singer expressed concern about the possibility that the Indian girl might be working for the authorities.

He said, smiling kind of nasty
Eli responded to the artist's concerns with a malicious grin.

"It ain't too damn likely she'll beat me to the draw", oh yeah
Eli was confident in his ability to outshoot the Indian girl if necessary.

We were walking back through the darkness
The team was returning to their hideout at night.

I heard the Duke, he's our dynamiter, say
The singer overheard the Duke, another team member, commenting on the Indian girl.

He said, "What's your name, sweet little Indian girl?"
The Duke spoke to the Indian girl, asking her name.

She said, "Raven" and she looked away
The Indian girl, who called herself Raven, avoided eye contact when answering the Duke's question.

Right then I didn't trust her, no and I said so, oh no
The artist did not trust Raven and expressed that sentiment to the group.

Now, Eli, he's our fastest gunner
Eli was known to be the team's most skilled marksman.

He's kind of mean and young from the South
Eli was a young man from the southern United States who had a reputation for being cruel.

"Fat Albert, you're getting kind of old and weird now"
Eli mocked the singer, whose name was Fat Albert, and made derogatory remarks about his age.

You'd better get your twelve gauge shotgun mighty damned fast
Eli warned Fat Albert that he needed to get his shotgun immediately.

And I did, you know I
The singer heeded Eli's warning and retrieved his shotgun.

Now Eli and the Duke they got down to it
Eli and the Duke began arguing over who would get to have their way with Raven.

They each wanted the Indian girl for their own
Both Eli and the Duke expressed a desire to have sexual relations with Raven.

But when they finally got around to asking her
After a while, Eli and the Duke asked Raven for her opinion on the matter.

You know she said, "She'd come to take young Billy home"
Raven told the team that she had come to bring their lookout, Billy, back home.

Eli said, "He'd kill young Billy he'd kill the Duke
Eli became angry and threatened to harm both Billy and the Duke.

And probably me too, yeah?"
Eli also expressed concern that he himself might be in danger.

the Indian girl said, "Go ahead now do it"
Raven challenged Eli to carry out his threats.

I said, "Stop it"
The singer intervened and tried to stop the escalating conflict.

and she bit my thumb nearly clean through
In response, Raven bit the artist's thumb and injured him severely.

And when they finally started to break down the door
Later, the authorities began to attempt to enter the team's hideout.

I smeared my face up with blood from my thumb, yeah
The singer pretended to be seriously injured and covered his face in the blood from his bitten thumb.

I laid down on the floor and played real good possum
The singer pretended to be dead in order to avoid harm or arrest.

You know I'm crazy but I ain't real dumb, oh no
Although he was unbalanced, the artist had the foresight to protect himself from harm.

Now I'm dying here in Albuquerque
The artist is now dying in the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I must be the sorriest sight you ever saw
The singer is in a pitiful state and would be a pitiable sight to behold.

You know the reason I'm the only man here to tell it
The singer is the only surviving member of the team, and is therefore the only one who can tell the story.

You know that Indian girl, she wasn't an Indian she was the law, oh
The Indian girl, Raven, was not actually an Indian, but rather an agent of the law who had been working to bring the team to justice.