Song Description

An old cowboy remembers moments of his life, with a common thread of a song he knew from his childhood.

Lyrics

[verse]
There is an old cowboy
Who sits by the fire
As the sky turns to yellow from blue
He sips on his coffee
Before he retires
And thinks of a song he once knew

He?s not sure how the words or the melody went
His mother once taught him the tune
He only remembers the words that she said
Just before she walked out of his room

[chorus]
Lay me down softly tonight
Lay me down softly tonight
Let me be grateful for all that I?ve had
Lay me down softly

[verse]
He thinks of a girl
That he knew long ago
And he wonders where she is now
He thinks how the moon used to light up her eyes
How her smile made him so proud

Tired wrinkled hands bring the cup to his chest
And he asks her to dance one more time
He sways to a music that no one can hear
She whispers to him in his mind

[chorus]
Lay me down softly tonight
Lay me down softly tonight
Let me be grateful for all that I?ve had
Lay me down softly

[bridge]
From cradle to grave
What?s left of a man
Is the work that his hands
Have done

[verse]
One frosty morning
He doesn?t arise
A long peaceful sleep he has won
They lay him to rest
Under blue marbled skies
His days in the saddle are done

A cowboy?s farewell is a lonely event
Just a few gather ?round in the breeze
Till one single voice sings a song that he?s heard
A song that he?s heard in his dreams

[chorus]
Lay me down softly tonight
Lay me down softly tonight
Let me be grateful for all that I?ve had
Lay me down softly