# Bar-Z on a Sunday Night explained — Songs of the Cattle Trail and Cow Camp

> Chapter companion for Songs of the Cattle Trail and Cow Camp by John A. Lomax.

## What happens

A poem describing the rough cowboys of the Bar-Z ranch who, despite their sinful reputation, gather on Sunday nights to sing hymns led by a young boy and accompanied by Dick's fiddle, softening their hearts and making temporary promises of reform.

## Themes in this chapter

### Community and Camaraderie

The Sunday night hymn-singing brings the rough cowboys together, softening their hearts and creating a shared moment of reflection and promise.

### Solitude and Reflection

The music prompts introspection and temporary vows of better behavior, highlighting the cowboys' inner struggles and moments of quiet contemplation.

## Character check-ins

### Z Bar Dick

Plays the fiddle that stirs the cowboys' hearts on Sunday nights.

### Unknown Narrator

The speaker, a cowboy on the Bar-Z ranch, describes the Sunday night hymn-singing tradition.

## Key lines

> We ain’t no saints on the Bar-Z ranch, ’Tis said⁠—an’ we know who ’tis⁠— “Th’ devil’s laid hold on us, tooth an’ branch, An’ uses us in his biz.”

We're not holy men on the Bar-Z ranch, as everyone says—and we know who says it—the devil has a tight grip on us and uses us for his own purposes.

_The narrator acknowledges the ranch's rough reputation while setting up the contrast with their Sunday night behavior._

> When Dick’s ol’ fiddle begins to play A toon⁠—an’ it ain’t no waltz. It digs fer th’ things that are out o’ sight, It delves through th’ toughest crust, It grips th’ heart-strings, an’ holds ’em tight, Till we’ve got ter sing⁠—er bust!

When Dick's old fiddle starts playing a tune—and it's not a waltz—it reaches deep inside us, breaks through our tough exteriors, and grabs our heartstrings so tightly that we have to sing or burst.

_The fiddle's music penetrates the cowboys' hardened facades, forcing an emotional response._

> An’ we makes some promises there an’ then Which we keeps⁠—till we goes to bed⁠— That’s the most could be ast o’ a passel o’ men What ain’t no saints, as I said.

And we make some promises right then that we keep until we go to bed—that's the best you can ask of a bunch of men who aren't saints, as I said.

_The cowboys' good intentions are sincere but short-lived, lasting only until they fall asleep._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/songs_of_the_cattle_trail_and_cow_camp_se/chapters/bar-z-on-a-sunday-night
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/songs_of_the_cattle_trail_and_cow_camp_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/songs_of_the_cattle_trail_and_cow_camp_se/chapters