The Ballad of Young Billy

The Ballad of Young Billy

This Story is the absolute truth as inspired by Ed 'Billy' Norvell to master storyteller, Joules LaHae.

A preface is in order, to follow in time, with links, et al. In the interim... enjoy this.

~ Hear the Intriguing Final Demise of a Cowboy called Young Billy @ Broadjam ~

Words & Music: Joules LaHae aka Gregor Rice

Storyteller/Verse:

I was drivin’ down to Cloudcroft on State Highway 54

When a brass plate marker flashed and caught my eye

A long, hard drive from Albuquerque down Nuevo Mexico

I couldn’t stop, I had to pass it by

Now a hard day’s work behind me, beat, I dreaded drivin’ back

With that big trip-hammer bangin’ in my head

But headed north to Carrizozo I had to stop and read that plaque

And this is what that graveyard marker read:

Chorus/Choir:

“Young Billy was a good cowboy, not twenty-one, they say

Struck down by ligntnin’ one stormy mid-spring day

On his last and final roundup.” Now his bones forever lay

In a washed out cemetery ‘long the road to Santa Fe

Storyteller/Verse:

As I neared the grave I felt an awesome reverence in my bones

Saw some flowers there but no tracks up ahead

Then I heard the soul of Billy as I knelt beside the stone

And this is what that good ol’ cowboy said:

Billy's Story/Verse:

“Got a job in ol’ El Paso on the drive to Santa Fe

It was ridin’ drag or cookin’ for the crew

Was my seventh year of ridin’ -- learned a lot along the way

Enough, I thought, to always see me through

It was a long, hard drive through no man’s land where hell and heaven meet

But I needed work and didn’t mind the sweat

But ‘tween the Mescalero Injun, White Sands’ water, and the heat

Well, ya take your chances, gettin’ what ya get

Had ol’ Cochiti, my saddle, had no need to pack a gun

Oh, I guess I never had that much to prove

Had my ol’ Granddaddy’s work-stained hat, my first and only one

An’ worse my boots like breathin,’ on the move

Bridge/Choir

He was a peace-lovin’ man, who lived the law of the land

Billy's Story/Verse:

It was just passed Tularosa ‘bout a half day’s ride or so

When a wind kicked up -- we ‘r’ headed for a storm

I could see that glory rainin’ from Sierra Caballo

‘Course the cattle spooked, then two small twisters formed

There ain’t nothin’ worse than ridin’ drag, I’m tellin’ you for true

Pickin’ up those strays that wander from the herd

I could hear her mama callin’ -- was a sound I sorely knew

An’ I feared that thunder’d turn her milk to curd

Took me way too long to rope her, slung her over Cochiti

An’ got the heck on back the fastest way I could

She was covered with my duster, but that critter wouldn’t be

So I had to stop an’ tie her on real good

Well that stop was all it took for me, those rains hit hard and fast

I guess the blindin’ dust storm wasn’t bad enough

Just ol’ Cochiti, that calf, an’ me -- I knew we’d never last

But God takes care, an’ I was us’ly pretty tough

Bridge/Choir

If White Sands’ water don’t kill, the Mescelero sure will

Billy's Story/Verse:

Now in a storm that fierce you’re gonna count on flash floods ragin’ close behind

An’ Lord, that blazin’ lightnin’ nearly turned me white

Our only chance was takin’ cover -- if there’s any we could find

So we headed for the only cov’r in sight

Yeah... it wasn’t just a bad move... but the only move we had

By then I had no other choice but take a chance

Between the thunder an’ the lightnin’ an’ that wind, I'm talking BAD

One bolt hit so close it dang near torched by pants

Now the last thing I remember, I knelt down to make my peace

When just that fast a bright, white Light shot over head

I kissed the dirt an’ saw those critters’ feet kick out like they’d hit grease

An’ when I looked around I knew we all were dead

I coulda sworn I saw my Granddad’s face inside that bright, white Light

So I got up and couldn’t keep from lookin’ in

An’ he was smilin’ as he stretched his arm an’ grabbed my hand real tight

An’ I felt a peace passed any peace that’s ever been

A Capella:

They found us all fried crisper ‘n cracklins in a cast ir’n fryin’ pan

An’ wrapped me up an’ took the tach off Cochiti

An’ those ol’ cowboy’s gave a buryin’ that was fit for any man

An’ there ain’t no place else my bones would rather be.”

Chorus/Choir:

“Young Billy was a good cowboy, not twenty-one, they say

Struck down by ligntnin’ one stormy mid-spring day

On his last and final roundup.” Now his bones forever lay

In a washed out cemetery ‘long the road to Santa Fe

I would slow this down a bit ~ midi tracks available with new arrangement open to interpretation, of course.

35mm slides of what may be the actual grave site are available

Male vocal probably works best

1-260-495-3211 ~ ieshea @ verizon dot net

See other inspired works & pre-demos in wait of new gear via Broadjam

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...Personally unknown to the storyteller, but highly honored nonetheless,

our own reporting on this Arizona TV news film-@-11 taping of The Hopi SnowDanse en demonstration of the work as shown.

From a sparkling blue Sedona sky to a Conference & Celebration of The Elements, Pondaw... Grandfather Cloud...
and other honored guests fill the arena on high.

We apologize for missing the thickest of snowfall as we again stood in awe at the sight we beheld.

Our driveabout too late the following day finds our report nested @ our StarKamp site sans captions:

Stuff... ...For the time-consuming calls to tech support on both websites looming,

re: suddenly sans sound and secondary photo pages, I'm unable to link same available but currently at large...so please check back

As such, both the lyric demo & instrumental raw tracks/examples

are available at the top of our broadjam profile-in-process.

Be Sure to Check Out the StarKid Stuff & Foster The Light for the Kidzzzz!

Red Alert...... FSBO ......Red Alert

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