She Held the Line

[Verse 1] We rode out young, full o’ fire and war Chasin’ cattle, chasin’ blood, chasin’ somethin’ more But back at the homestead, quiet as dusk Was a woman with steel in her bones and dust in her blood [Verse 2] She’d fix the fence with the dawn still gray Chop the wood, mend the roof, hitch the bay With six hungry mouths and no time to cry She’d kiss ‘em all goodnight with a Colt by her side [Chorus] She held the line when the trail ran cold When the banker came knockin’ and the wind got bold No six-gun songs, no tales to shine But the West still stands ‘cause she held the line [Verse 3] Men wrote the songs, carved the names in oak But never sang for the hands that didn’t choke She buried three boys and a man named Paul Wore black for a year, then went back to it all [Bridge] I seen her ride out with blood on her sleeve Drag a calf through the flood and not once leave Told me once, with a hard little grin— “Cowboys come and go... I just dig in.” [Final Chorus] She held the line when the storms rolled through When the war took her kin and the crops wouldn’t bloom She don’t wear stars, don’t draw no signs But the land still breathes ‘cause she held the line [Outro] [Fiddle soft, like a lullaby through dry grass. One bootstep. Then silence.]