Sweet Baby James
James Taylor Lyrics

There is a young cowboy, he lives on the range
A cowboy resides in the countryside with his horses and cattle as his sole companions.

His horse and his cattle are his only companions
The cowboy only has his farm animals to keep him company.

He works in the saddle and sleeps in the canyons
The cowboy spends the day riding his horse and finds shelter to sleep in the canyons.

Waiting for summer, his pastures to change
The cowboy anticipates the summer season when his pastures will alter for his livestock.

And as the moon rises he sits by his fire
As the moon ascends into the sky, the cowboy rests beside his fire.

Thinking about women and glasses of beer
The cowboy contemplates women and drinks beer while sitting by the fire.

And closing his eyes as the doggies retire
The cowboy closes his eyes as his loyal dogs retire for the night.

He sings out a song which is soft but it's clear
The cowboy sings a soft, yet clear tune.

As if maybe someone could hear
Perhaps the cowboy wishes that someone will hear his song.

Goodnight you moonlight ladies
The cowboy bids farewell to the moonlight ladies.

Rockabye sweet baby James
The cowboy affectionately sings a lullaby to a baby named James.

Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
The cowboy selects deep green and blue as his preferred colors.

Won't you let me go down in my dreams
The cowboy wants to sleep and enter his dreams.

And rockabye sweet baby James
The cowboy repeats his lullaby to baby James before falling asleep.

Now the first of December was covered with snow
On the first of December, there was snow on the ground.

So was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston
The roads from Stockbridge to Boston were also covered in snow.

The Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting
Due to the thick layer of snow, the Berkshires appeared as though they were in a dream.

With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go
The cowboy has traveled ten miles so far but has ten thousand more miles to go.

There's a song that they sing when they take to the highway
People sing a particular song when they set out on a journey.

A song that they sing when they take to the sea
People sing another song when they venture out onto the ocean.

A song that they sing of their home in the sky
The song sung while in the sky is about one's home there.

Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep
The singer acknowledges that believing in the song may help someone fall asleep.

But singing works just fine for me
The singer states that singing helps him sleep.

So goodnight you moonlight ladies
The singer bids farewell again to the moonlight ladies.

Rockabye sweet baby James
The singer repeats the lullaby to baby James once again.

Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
The singer reiterates his color preferences before going to bed.

Won't you let me go down in my dreams
The singer requests to fall into a peaceful slumber and dreams.

And rockabye sweet baby James
The song ends with the singer repeating the lullaby to baby James.