[Intro] Longhorn shadows on a red dirt plain Five million head headed north for the train No fence in sight and the whole range free Welcome to the Kingdom come ride with me [Chorus] Welcome to the Cattle Kingdom Where the red dirt rolls and the longhorns run Ride all day till the trail gets done Chasing forty dollar dreams in the setting sun Welcome to the Cattle Kingdom From the open range to the railroad line Five million strong in a short lived crown The wire went up and the Kingdom came down [Verse 1] Spanish cattle went wild on the Texas ground Raised by the heat so the horns grew proud Three dollars south forty up north That kind of difference put a drive in force No Texas railroad so they made their own route A thousand head walking with the cowhands out Spring grass green and the trail ran long Hooves made the beat to a cattle drive song [Chorus] Welcome to the Cattle Kingdom Where the red dirt rolls and the longhorns run Ride all day till the trail gets done Chasing forty dollar dreams in the setting sun Welcome to the Cattle Kingdom From the open range to the railroad line Five million strong in a short lived crown The wire went up and the Kingdom came down [Verse 2] Chisholm Trail north into Abilene Two months deep with a dust coat clean Storm on the left and a rustler on the right Stampede thunder in the middle of the night Black cowhands Native hands veterans too Vaquero knowledge taught the whole crew Rope game strong and the branding precise Cowboy culture with a Spanish bloodline [Chorus] Welcome to the Cattle Kingdom Where the red dirt rolls and the longhorns run Ride all day till the trail gets done Chasing forty dollar dreams in the setting sun Welcome to the Cattle Kingdom From the open range to the railroad line Five million strong in a short lived crown The wire went up and the Kingdom came down [Verse 3] Rail town money made the cattlemen kings But too much profit makes a short crown slip More herds grazing made the grass run low Too much beef made the prices let go Then the settlers came with the plow and claim Barbed wire cut through the open range The cattle stayed but the long drives drowned The wire went up and the Kingdom came down [Bridge] Every crown has a closing day Every open road can be fenced away The cowboy lived but the old range changed Farms took hold on the Great Plains You can still hear those longhorn sounds Like a lost old king on red dirt ground [Final Chorus] Goodbye to the Cattle Kingdom Where the red dirt rolled and the longhorns ran Ride all day till the trail was done Chasing forty dollar dreams in the setting sun Goodbye to the Cattle Kingdom From the open range to the railroad line Five million strong in a short lived crown The wire went up and the Kingdom came down
