Songs of the Cattle Trail and Cow Camp · Chapter
I Want My Time explained
A night guard, alone and homesick, longs for his beloved and resolves to quit the round-up at dawn, asking for his time and tobacco from a fellow cowboy.
What happens
A night guard, alone and homesick, longs for his beloved and resolves to quit the round-up at dawn, asking for his time and tobacco from a fellow cowboy.
Themes in this chapter
Solitude and Reflection
The night guard's solitary vigil and introspection about his longing for his girl and his decision to quit.
Love and Romance
The speaker's deep yearning for his beloved, driving his resolve to leave the round-up.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The night guard speaking in first person, expressing loneliness and desire to leave the round-up.
- Whiskey Bill
Addressed as 'Bill' in the final line, asked for tobacco.
Key passages
“I’m night guard all alone tonight, Dead homesick, lonely, tired and blue; And none but you can make it right; My heart is hungry, Girl, for you.”
As the sole night guard, I feel profoundly homesick, lonely, exhausted, and sad; only you can ease this pain, my love, for I yearn for you.
The narrator expresses his emotional state and longing for his beloved.
“Give me my time, then, I am done. No, I’m not sick. Three weeks? Oh gee!”
Just pay me what I'm owed, because I'm quitting. No, I'm not ill. Three more weeks? That's too long!
The narrator insists on leaving the round-up, rejecting the boss's suggestion of a longer stay.