Seventeen

When he was five years old, his mom took him down To the round corral to watch his dad work With the young horse that he called Smokey And man did that horse buck, but his old dad He just sat up there and rode him like there's nothin' to it And right then, the boy gained a whole new respect for the man And from that day on, he knew that when he grew up He wanted to be a cowboy At 17, a cowboy's dreams ain't on fixin' fences Once he's seen 'em ride in old Cheyenne Ranch routine and his old man's schemes This ain't where his heart is But you know, his daddy understands Well, noonday comes and, father and son Sit down and eat their dinner Beneath that big Wyoming sky His daddy knows he's gotta let him go The boy can't be a winner If he don't spread his wings and fly And in his mind he's ridin' bulls down in Las Vegas And soon he'll be on a train that leads to Santa Fe The sweet voice of freedom echoes down the ages And calls another cowboy on his way Well, the fencin's done and the mornin' sun Finds him packed and ready Momma kissed his cheek and then she went inside His old man, well, he shook his hand Said, "Son, you ride 'em pretty" He didn't see the tears that his momma cried And in his mind he's ridin' bulls down in Las Vegas Today he's on a train that leads to Santa Fe The sweet voice of freedom echoes down the ages And calls another cowboy on his way