Story Behind The Song
The killing of B.F. Vance, Oct. 9, 1909 on the Hermit trail.
Song Description
Flatt and Scruggs and Alison Krauss style.
| Song Length |
6:01 |
Genre |
Country - Bluegrass, Folk - Country |
| Tempo |
Medium Slow (91 - 110) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Diplomatic, Cool |
Subject |
Judgement, Justice |
| Similar Artists |
Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson |
Language |
English |
| Era |
2000 and later |
| |
Lyrics
1st verse -
When the light is right on the Hermit Trail you can see the headstone there
A story scratched in native stone though there's few that know or care
About what happened up at timberline in the blood-red Sangre peaks
"B.F. Vance killd October 9, 1909 AD"
2nd verse ?
Bernard Franklin Vance came west in 1892
The railroad had advertised free land and skies a-blue
He settled north of Moffat, 80 acres on the creek
Raising cattle, wheat and family, beneath the snowy peaks
Bridge ?
Is it fate or fortune, circumstance or the cutting of the cards
That makes one man?s life easy and another one so hard
B.F. Vance, he couldn?t say, he couldn?t stop to wonder why
He just knew that if he didn?t work, those he loved would die
3rd verse ?
Crazy Ivan had the diggings up on Hermit Pass
Eating mountain sheep and marmot, no one thought he?d last
The assay said the shine was pyrite, mica and feldspar
But Ivan knew there was gold in there, he just didn?t know how far
4th verse ?
?07 brought grasshoppers, the next year there was drought
The wheat barely replaced the seed, steers were all shipped out
And it was plain to see without more food the winter would prevail
So B.F. and his Remington, went to hunt the Hermit trail
Instrumental through verse
5th verse ?
Ivan was no evil man, just had a castle in the air
He?d worked hard as any can, and he was not about to share
And any man with a rifle on his trail was a thief
"B.F. Vance killd October 9, 1909 AD"
Repeat bridge, third line ?
He just knew that he had to hunt, or those he loved would die
Repeat 1st verse