[Verse 1] My name is Joe Bowers, Got a brother named Ike, Left Missouri’s green meadows, Through dust and heartbreak. Ma kissed my cheek, whispered, "Son, take care," But dreams called me westward, And I left my love there. [Verse 2] Sallie was my sweetheart, Eyes like the coal-black night, Said, "Build us a home, Joe, Then I'll be your wife." So I swore on the river, Beneath the old oak tree— "I’ll bring you the world, darlin’, Just you wait for me." [Chorus] Oh, the West was wild, and the work was mean, Swingin’ that pick till my hands bled clean. Rain or shine, through fever and pain, I dug for the gold, But I dug in vain. [Verse 3] Then came Ike’s letter, Worn at the seams, News from old Pike County Shattered all my dreams. Said Sallie took a butcher— A man with fire-red hair, Now there’s a baby cryin’, And I ain’t got a prayer. [Bridge] Was it greed or weakness That stole her away? Or just the slow turn Of a heart gone gray? I’d have died for that woman, Laid my soul in the clay, But she chose a life Where I couldn’t stay. [Chorus] Oh, the West was wild, but the worst blow of all— Was knowin’ her love Could be bought so small. Now my pockets are empty, And my spirit’s the same, Just a ghost in the hills Whisperin’ her name. [Outro] So pour me a whiskey, Let the bottle run dry, Bury me deep where the coyotes cry. Tell ’em Joe Bowers Was a fool to believe That love wouldn’t fade Like the gold in that stream.
