Black Bear Road

(c.w. mccall, b. fries, c. davis)

Did you see me at westport landing
On the wide missouri shore?
Did you hear the west wind calling
In the spring of forty-four?

[chorus]
If the mud don't stay and the cattle don't stray
We can make fort kearny by the middle of may
If the mud don't stay and the cattle don't stray
We can make fort kearny by the middle of may

Did you see me at old fort kearny?
Did you hear my trumpets blow?
Did you write your name in stone, boys
On the great platte river road?

[chorus]
If the wolf don't howl in the dark of the moon
We can make scotts bluff by the middle of june
If the wolf don't howl in the dark of the moon
We can make scotts bluff by the middle of june

Did you see that endless prairie
Blowin' clean and pure and free?
Did you hear that rollin' thunder
On the wild nebraska sea?

Did you climb the shining mountains?
Did you cross that great divide?
Did you pray to god almighty
To let you down the other side?

[chorus, but only by c.w.]
Roll wagons, rollin' rollin'
Roll wagons, rollin' home
Roll wagons, rollin' rollin'
Roll wagons, rollin' home

Did you see me out on the desert?
Did you see my oxen die?
Did you find a drop of water?
Did you hear my children cry?

[chorus]
If the sun don't shine and the river don't rise
We can make south pass by the fourth of july
If the sun don't shine and the river don't rise
We can make south pass by the fourth of july

Did you see the high sierra
Far beyond the burning sand?
Did you find that golden valley?
Did you reach the promised land?

[chorus]
If the snow don't fly and the river don't dry
We can make that valley before we die
If the snow don't fly and the river don't dry
We can make that valley before we die

(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)

Now arnold jones an' marybeth jensen's in a 'vette down by the deep rock
Had john denver on the 8-track, gettin' high
Marybeth's wig was on the floor
An' arnold's feet was out the door
When we shined our flashlight in arnold's startled eyes
I says "what chew doin' boy?
Don't chew know that's against the law?
We just gonna hafta get this situation under control
Now my name is fairweather lewis an' this here's willard clark
We the pottawattamie county love patrol."

Then two hippies in a chevy's puffin' grass an' sippin' wine
'bout fourteen mile south-east a' council bluffs
They's passin' 'round the peace-pipe
When we caught 'em with our flashlight
An' willard's hairy hands applied the cuffs.
I says, "boys you got some trouble
You committin' herb-i-cide.
We just gonna hafta get this situation under control
'cause i'm fairweather lewis, an' this here's willard clark
We the pottawattamie county weed patrol."

Then we spied ol' marvin kline a-headin' south on twenty-nine
Like a midnight auto ac-cessory store on wheels
His trunk was full a' hub caps
An' his back seat full a' tires
When we picked him up and made him spread his heels
I says, "hands up-on the wall, boy
You allowed t' make one call
We just gonna hafta get this situation under control
Cause, see, i'm fairweather lewis, an' this here's willard clark
We the pottawattamie county rip-off patrol."

Then orval hinkle left the go-go club on his brand-new motor-sickle
Runnin' stop-lights, raisin' hell an' causin' accidents
His brain was doin' wheelies
An' his blood was three-two beer
When we nailed him in his driveway at his residence
I says, "orval, you're in trouble boy
But if you'll blow this here balloon up
We gonna get your situation under control
Now i'm captain fairweather lewis an' this here's willard clark
We the pottawattamie county juice patrol."

Then we's passin' by the dew drop inn when he heard this woman scream
So we pulled on in an' parked an' got the guns out
Well we bashed on through the lobby into unit seventeen
There's twenty-eight folks in there without no clothes on.
I says "everbody up against the wall; show us yer identification.
We just gonna definitely get this situation under control
'cause my name is fairweather lewis, an' this here's willard clark
We the pottawattamie county sin patrol."

C'mon, willard, let's go sneakin' 'round in the dark some more, never know what yer gonna find.

(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)

Write me a song about singin'
Write me a song about free
Do a little tune about lovin' and a-livin'
Do it just for me

[chorus]
But please don't make it a sad song
I don't wanna sing the blues
For god's sakes make it a glad song
I got no time to lose

Now, write me a song about rivers
Write me a song about trees
Do a little tune about climbin' the mountain
Play it in the key of me

[chorus]
But please don't make it a sad song
I don't wanna sing the blues
For god's sakes make it a glad song
I got no time to lose

Lay a little get-down rhythm
Sprinkle in a dash a' soul
Mix it with a little bit a' breakdown country
Plus a lot a' rock an' roll

[chorus]
But please don't make it a sad song
I don't wanna sing the blues
For god's sakes make it a glad song
I got no time to lose

Well, write me a song about summer
Write me a song about sun
Do a little tune about good times
Do it just for fun

[chorus]
But please don't make it a sad song
I don't wanna sing the blues
For god's sakes make it a glad song
I got no time to lose

(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)

[spoken]
Way out in the canyons of the west, there's a wild river. the spanish named it san buenaventura; but we knew it as the green.

It was daylight on the river but we couldn't see the sun
And we couldn't hear our voices through the roar
But we felt the boilin' current and our blood was runnin' cold
As we headed down the canyon of lodore
And the gods were runnin' with us
On the day we ran the rapids of the green

[chorus]
And we died a thousand times in that forty miles of hell
The longest day of life we'd ever seen
But we lived to tell the story and we know the story well
The day we ran the rapids of the green

We were thirty-two in number when we gathered on the shore
And we headed off into the great unknown
But we summoned up our courage an' we formed a mighty team
And we ran that ragin' river all alone
Yeah, the gods were runnin' with us
On the day we ran the rapids of the green

[echoing shouts.]


And we hear a thousand echoes on the mighty canyon walls
As we shouted from the waters far below
And we saw the ancient warnings and we heard the ghostly cries
Of the men who ran the river long ago
And we prayed that they were with us
On the day we ran the rapids of the green

[echoing shouts.]


Now the memories are swirlin' in the eddies of our minds
But the waters of the green are flowin' clear
And the canyon of lodore will be a long remembered tale
To be told around the campfires through the years
Yeah, the gods were runnin' with us
On the day we ran the rapids of the green

[chorus]
And we died a thousand times in that forty miles of hell
The longest day of life we'd ever seen
But we lived to tell the story and we know the story well
The day we ran the rapids of the green

[echoing shouts. fade out.]

She was born one mornin' on a san juan summer
Back in eighteen and eighty and one
She was a beautiful daughter of the d and r g
And she weighed about a thousand ton

Well, it's a-forty-five mile through the animas canyon
So they set her on the narra gauge
She drank a whole lot a' water
And she ate a lot of coal
And they called her the silverton (silverton train)

[chorus]
Here comes the silverton, up from durango
Here comes the silverton, a-shovelin' coal
Here comes the silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow

Well, now listen to the whistle in the rock wood cut
On the high line to silverton town
And you're gonna get a shiver
When you check out the river
Which is four hundred feet straight down

Take on some water at the needleton tank
And then a-struggle up a two-five grade
And by the time you get your hide
Past the snowshed slide
You've had a ride on the silverton (silverton train)

[chorus]
Here comes the silverton, up from durango
Here comes the silverton, a-shovelin' coal
Here comes the silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow

[musical interlude here. nice violins, and the kettle drums boom well.]

[chorus]
Here comes the silverton, up from durango
Here comes the silverton, a-shovelin' coal
Here comes the silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow

[if the next line seems a bit familiar, you're correct. chug-chug, toot-toot, off we go.]

Now, down by the station, early in the mornin'
There's a whole lot a' people in line
And they all got a ticket
On the train to yesterday
And it's a-gonna leave on time

Well, it's a forty-five mile up the animas canyon
So they run her on the narra gauge
She takes a whole lot a' water
And she needs a lot of coal
And they call her the silverton (silverton train)

[chorus]
Here comes the silverton, up from durango
Here comes the silverton, a-shovelin' coal
Here comes the silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow


[fade out]
Here comes the silverton, up from durango
Here comes the silverton, a-shovelin' coal
Here comes the silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow

Here comes the silverton, up from durango
Here comes the silverton, a-shovelin' coal
Here comes the silverton, up from the canyon
See the smoke and hear the whistle blow