# The Cowboy's Valentine 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 cowboy uses the metaphor of rounding up stray cattle to express his romantic interest in Moll, asking her to accept his brand and settle down with him on the Home Ranch.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Romance

The poem is a romantic proposal couched in the language of cattle ranching, blending affection with cowboy identity.

### Community and Camaraderie

References to 'Old Val' and the 'Sweetheart Range' evoke a shared community and the social bonds of ranch life.

## Character check-ins

### Mary

Addressed as 'Moll' in the poem, the object of the cowboy's affection.

### Val

Mentioned as 'Old Val' who is rounding up on the Sweetheart Range.

### Unknown Narrator

The cowboy speaker who uses cowboy lingo to propose to Moll.

## Key lines

> Say, Moll, now don’t you ’llow to quit A-playin’ maverick? Sech stock should be corralled a bit An’ hev a mark ’t ’ll stick.

Moll, don't you think it's time to stop being unattached? Like a stray calf, you ought to be brought into the herd and given a permanent brand.

_The cowboy uses the term 'maverick' (an unbranded calf) to suggest Moll should settle down and accept his commitment._

> Old Val’s a-roundin’-up today Upon the Sweetheart Range, ’N me a-helpin’, so to say, Though this yere herd is strange To me⁠—’n yit, ef I c’d rope Jes one to wear my brand I’d strike f’r Home Ranch on a lope, The happiest in the land.

Old Val is gathering cattle on the Sweetheart Range, and I'm helping out, even though these cows are unfamiliar. But if I could catch just one to claim as my own, I'd ride quickly to the Home Ranch, the happiest man around.

_The cowboy expresses his hope to win Moll's heart, using the metaphor of roping and branding a cow to signify marriage._

> Yo’ savvy who I’m runnin’ so, Yo’ savvy who I be; Now, can’t yo’ take that brand⁠—yo’ know⁠— The M - I - N - E . C. F. Lummis.

You understand who I'm chasing and who I am; now, won't you accept my brand—the one that spells 'MINE'?

_The cowboy directly proposes, asking Moll to accept his brand as a symbol of belonging to him, signed by the poet C. F. Lummis._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/songs_of_the_cattle_trail_and_cow_camp_se/chapters/the-cowboy-s-valentine
- 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