Songs of the Cattle Trail and Cow Camp · Chapter
The Ol’ Cow Hawse explained
A cowboy poet praises the old cow horse as the most reliable, faithful, and enduring mount for range work, contrasting it with fancy, high-bred steeds.
What happens
A cowboy poet praises the old cow horse as the most reliable, faithful, and enduring mount for range work, contrasting it with fancy, high-bred steeds. He expresses a wish to ride such a horse in the afterlife.
Themes in this chapter
Nature and the Landscape
The poem celebrates the rugged landscape of the range and the horse that navigates it tirelessly.
Solitude and Reflection
The speaker reflects on peace and quiet, and the hope for a restful afterlife on the range.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The speaker who extols the virtues of the old cow horse and imagines riding it in heaven.
Key passages
“But fer one that never tires; one that’s faithful, tried and true; One that allus is a 'stayer' when you want to slam him through, There is but one breed o’ critters that I ever came across That will allus stand the racket: 'tis the Ol’ Cow Hawse”
For a horse that never tires, is faithful and reliable, and can push through when needed, the only breed that fits is the old cow horse.
The narrator emphasizes the cow horse's dependability and endurance.
“When my soul seeks peace and quiet on the home ranch of the blest, Where no storms or stampedes bother, an’ the trails are trails o’ rest”
When I long for peace in heaven, where there are no storms or stampedes and the trails are restful.
The narrator imagines a peaceful afterlife on a heavenly ranch.