Man With the Big Hat Jerry Jeff Walker

Stephen Fromholz

Narrator:
In a bar in Arizona
On a sultry summer day
A cowboy came in off the road just to pass the time away
He pulled a stool up to the bar and pushed his hat back on his head
I listened to the stories told to the words that cowboy said. He said...

Cowboy:

I could tell you stories 'bout the Indians on the plain
Talk about Wells Fargo and the comin' of the trains
Talk of the slaughter of the buffalo that roamed
Sing a song of settlers, come out looking for a home

CHORUS (both)
Now the man with the big hat is buying
Drink up while the drinking is free
Drink up to the cowboys a dead or a dying
Drink to my compadres and me
Drink to my compadres and me

Narrator:
Well his shirt was brown and faded
And his hat was wide and black
And the pants that once were blue were grey and had a pocket gone in back
He had a finger missin' from the hand that rolled the smoke
He laughed and talked of cowboy life but you knew it weren't no joke, he said....