Story Behind The Song
I had the life changing opportunity to work cattle in West Texas on a couple of occassions and at times in my life when I needed the solitude, needed the sweat and the soreness. "Life-changing" may sound over stated, but it is possibly an under statement. It was a time of self discovery as well as spiritual discovery. The chorus is a prayer because cowboys I worked with prayed every morning before breakfast and each evening before supper. After the first day of working I knew why.
Song Description
The cowboy life may be diminished and changed but it still exists even today. There are some blessed and brave men and women who still spend most of their days horseback out in the weather. And they see this world in a way that most never will.
| Song Length |
4:45 |
Genre |
Country - Cowboy, Country - Religious |
| Tempo |
Slow (71 - 90) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Subject |
God, Prayer |
Language |
English |
Lyrics
Why Cowboys Pray
Jeffrey W. Posey
I know a sky unscraped by concrete and steel
And I know a road to Heaven unscarred by a wheel
Where the night offers graceful welcome to each hard day
And I know, I know why cowboys pray
I know the hardest men entrust their delicate fate
To the hands of God and to a pony?s sure feet
And ask that they and their way of life live another day
And I know, I know why cowboys pray
Lord, bless this day and bless these men
And watch them as they ride
Carry them home Lord if they should fall
Or simply wander from your side
Thank you for the rain and
For the life your sunlight (that your Son) gave
And thank you for this cowboy life
That you?ve seen fit to save
I know a soreness deep beneath my skin
From ridin? hard with a kindred spirit six days in the wind
I know a sounder sleep at night since I found my way
And I know, I know why cowboys pray
I hear the angels? song when we gather the herd
In the jingle and hum of a greasewood branch on a spur
And I pray they will sing to me another day
?Cause I know, I know why cowboys pray
I know a life uncomplicated by doubt
Of what I can live with and what I can?t live without
Just a horse between my knees and a wide open space
To teach my kids so they know why cowboys pray
To teach my kids so they know why cowboys pray