The Wagon Tongue

A D A I hired on with col. Slaughter, driving steers to Abilene E Green and wet behind the ears, a kid of seventeen A D A Though I was raised in Texas, I was not a seasoned hand E A So I got the job of hoodilum, the coosies right hand man. A D A On the llano estecato, all you see are endless plains E You dread the sound of thunder, there's no shelter from the rain A D A Now the coosie did a strange thing, when the evening meal was done, E A He'd wait until the stars come out, then move the wagon tongue. A D A He said there ain't no landmarks on these wide and rollin' plains E There ain't no trees or mountains, so each day it looks the same A D But you'll never lose direction and you'll know just where you are A E A If you'll always point the wagon tongue, toward that ol' north star. A D A Out along the Cimarron, one cold and stormy night E I watched the cattle stampede, through the lightnings' eerie light. A D A Took several days to round em up, get em settled down E A And we followed in the wagon, through the soft and muddy ground. A D A As we pushed the herd across the plains, we had no way to know E That we had drifted way off course, towards New Mexico A D A But that night the stars came out, his theory stood the test; E A Abilene's up north of us, but we were headed west. A D A He said there ain't no landmarks on these wide and rollin' plains E There ain't no trees or mountains, so each day it looks the same A D But you'll never lose direction and you'll know just where you are A E A If you'll always point the wagon tongue, toward that ol' north star. A D A My life has been a full one, my hair is turnin gray E And I've seen a lot of sunshine, but I've seen some cloudy days. A D A For a while I wondered aimlessly and I still wear the scars E A Of when I didn't point my wagon tongue, toward that ol' north star. Final Chorus and Outro A D A 'Cause life is like a grassy sea, the trail ain't always plain, E One may lead to pleasure and another lead to pain, A D But you'll never lose direction and you'll know just where you are A E A If you'll always point your wagon tongue, toward that ol' north star D Yes you'll never lose direction and you'll know just where you are A E A If you'll always point your wagon tongue, toward that ol' north star.