Little Joe, the wrangler, he'll wrangle never more
His days with the remuda, they are o'er
It was a year ago last April when he rode into our camp
Just a little Texas stray, and all alone
He said he had to leave his home, his pa had married twice
And his new ma whopped him every day or two
So he saddled up old Shaw one night and lit a shuck this way
And now he's out to paddle his own canoe
He asked the boss to give him work, said he'd do the best he could
Though he didn't know straight up about a cow
So the boss, he picked him out a mount and kindly helped him on
For he sudden liked this little kid somehow
Showed him how to rein the horses and to know them all apart
And get them in by daylight if he could
Showed him how to hitch the horses to the old chuck wagon
And helped the cocinero rustle wood
♪
We had driven to Red River, the weather bein' fine
Camped on the south side in the bend
When a Norther commenced blowin' we had doubled on our guard
For it took all of us to hold him in
Little Joe, the wrangler, was called out with the rest
Though the kid had scarcely reached the herd
When the cattle they got threatened and rushed in wild stampede
Then we were all a-ridin' for the lead
♪
Amidst the streaks of lightnin', a rider could be seen
It was little Joe, the wrangler, in the lead
He was on old Blue Rocket with a slicker o'er his head
Trying to check the cattle in their speed
At last we got them millin' and kinda quieted down
And the extra guards to the camp fire they did go
But there was one missing and we all knew at a glance
'Twas our little Texas strayboy, wrangler Joe
Next morning just at day break we found where Rocket fell
Down in a washout 20-feet below
And beneath the horse, smashed to a pulp, his spur had rung the knell
Was our little Texas stray boy, wrangler Joe