Ballad of the Great Land Rush

May 10, 2025 In

Ballad of the Great Land Rush

From the Album It Takes a Lot of People (Tribute to Woody Guthrie)

Come gather around me children
A story I will tell
About the Great Land Rush
Oklahoma knew it well

It was in the month of April
In 1889
Were millions of acres
Lie across that borderline

People came from Texas,
Kansas, Missouri
On horses, buggies, wagons
Fancy surrey’s

Where the militia
Held them all back with guns
Penned up like cattle
Beneath the burning sun

Lips parched and wrinkled
It was my turn in line
Dip a tin cup into the water
Get a mouth full of alkaline

There was a thirsty woman
She was the next in line
She had no water
So I gave her the rest of mine

She was riding on a beauty
A black thoroughbred
I was on my Indian pony
Thought for sure she’d race ahead

When the gun was fired
I shot across the line
And left Black Beauty
Way, way behind

Came to a wide gulley
Made it with an inch to spare
Looking back for Black Beauty
Hoping that she would not dare
A wild scream behind me
Her face filled with fear
Jumped off my pony to help her
Eyes streaked with tears

Black Beauty lay their hurting
With two broken legs
Shoot her she pleaded
Shoot her she begged

Pulled out my six-shooter
Shot Black Beauty in the head
Looking down upon her
Wishing that she were not dead

I thought it was all over
But for thinking I was wrong
She jumped on my Indian pony
Before I knew it she was gone

She rode to the land I wanted
With a ratted skirt in hand
She jumped off my Indian pony
And then she staked my land

Music by Woody Guthrie (Pretty Boy Floyd)
Words by Larry Long
Written with Children of Coyle, Oklahoma

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Ballad of the Great Land Rush