# Part II: The Cowboy Off Guard 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

This chapter presents a collection of poems and songs that reveal the tender, vulnerable, and romantic side of cowboys, contrasting with their rugged exterior. Themes of love, longing, and courtship dominate, as cowboys express their hopes, fears, and heartaches in matters of the heart, often using the language of the range to describe their emotions.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Romance

The chapter is dominated by expressions of romantic love, from bashful proposals to hopeless longing, using ranch metaphors like roping and branding.

### Community and Camaraderie

The 'Cowboys’ Christmas Ball' poem highlights the social bonding and collective joy of a community dance, where cowboys and locals come together.

## Character check-ins

### Texas Tom

Featured in 'The Cowboy and the Maid' as the bashful suitor who proposes to the narrator.

### Mary

Addressed as 'Moll' in 'The Cowboy's Valentine', the object of the cowboy's affection.

### Windy Billy

Leader of the dance in 'The Cowboys’ Christmas Ball', calling out steps and keeping the energy high.

### Z Bar Dick

Mentioned in 'The Cowboys’ Christmas Ball' as being knocked down during the lively dance.

## Key lines

> I got the jab in my rough ol’ heart, an’ I got it a-plenty, too, A center shot from a pair o’ eyes of the winninest sort o’ blue

I fell deeply in love, struck by the beautiful blue eyes of a woman.

_From 'A Cowboy’s Worrying Love', expressing the sudden impact of romantic attraction._

> I’ll open the little home corral an’ give her the level hunch To make a run fur the open gate when I cut her out o’ the bunch

I'll give her the chance to choose me freely, like opening a gate for a cow to leave the herd.

_From 'A Cowboy’s Worrying Love', using ranch imagery to describe proposing marriage._

> The dust riz fast an’ furious, we all just galloped round, Till the scenery got so giddy, that Z Bar Dick was downed.

The dance became so wild and fast that one cowboy, Z Bar Dick, fell down.

_From 'The Cowboys’ Christmas Ball', depicting the energetic and chaotic nature of the dance._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/songs_of_the_cattle_trail_and_cow_camp_se/chapters/part-ii-the-cowboy-off-guard
- 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