# The Outlaw 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 boasts of his ability to break wild horses and steers, asserting the dominance of man over beast. However, he concludes that the one creature he cannot fully tame is himself, when his own temper and inner 'devil' take control.

## Themes in this chapter

### Masculinity and Bravado

The poem celebrates the cowboy's physical prowess and dominance over wild animals, but ultimately humbles that bravado by acknowledging the internal battle with one's own nature.

### Solitude and Reflection

The final stanza turns inward, reflecting on the solitary struggle with one's own temper and the limits of self-control.

## Character check-ins

### Charles Badger Clark

Author and speaker of the poem, reflecting on the struggle between man and beast, and man and himself.

## Key lines

> For a man is a man and a steer is a beast, And the man is the boss of the herd; And each of the bunch, from the biggest to least, Must come down when he says the word.

A man is superior to a steer, and he commands all animals, regardless of size.

_Establishes the cowboy's authority over livestock._

> For a man is a man, but he's partly a beast— He kin brag till he makes you deaf, But the one, lone brute, from the West to the East, That he kaint quite break, is himse'f.

Despite his boasts, a man cannot fully control his own wild nature.

_The poem's twist: the ultimate 'outlaw' is oneself._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/songs_of_the_cattle_trail_and_cow_camp_se/chapters/the-outlaw
- 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