Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Johnny Cash
Canonical path: /johnny-cash/slow-rider
Related lyric paths: 6
Lyric guide
Slow Rider
Read Slow Rider lyrics by Johnny Cash on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
Slow Rider
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
Ride this train to any little trail in the West, you may find me riding alone late at night
My poor old horse don't understand why I ride at night and sleep in the daytime
Or why we ride in the bushes and hide every time I hear a noise
Well that's all I've done for months now running and hiding
You see, my name is John Wesley Hardin, no, I'm not proud of the name anymore
They say I've killed forty men, they tell a lot of different stories about me
Of course, I guess I'm to blame for a lot of it
I killed the first time when I was fifteen to save my life, but then I had to do it again
Then every bum in the country that was fast with the gun started lookin' for me
They called me the fastest gun alive, and I guess I was fast or I wouldn't be alive now
I got to where I couldn't walk down a street or in a saloon
Without some trigger-happy cowpoke
Wantin' to prove he could outdraw old John Wesley Hardin
Maybe I got a little bitter and didn't care whether I killed or not for a while
And I never quite forgot when the authorities in Huntsville prison
Dragged me up in the snow naked and horsewhipped me
Well, that's why I'm ridin' at night
I want to go where no one has ever seen me
Where I won't even have to wear a gun
Maybe, I'll settle down in a quiet little town somewhere
Even get a job on the right side of the law, who knows
Maybe in a new town the people will let me forget
I ride an old paint he's on the worryside
And I'm a saddle tramp about to cross the great divide
Where there's grass in the coolies and water in the drawl
And the forty-pound saddle won't make us both raw
Slow rider, slow rider, move on a little more
The sky boss is waitin' at the big ranch house door
I can't help but missin' the daughters that I had
One went to Denver the other went bad
My young wife died in a poolroom fight
But I try to keep singin' from morning till night
Slow rider, slow rider, move on a little more
The sky boss is waitin' at the big ranch house door
Whenever I die, take my saddle from the wall
Strap it on snuffy lead him out of the stall
Throw me on his back and turn him toward the west
He knows how to take me to the spot I love best
Slow rider, slow rider, move on a little more
The sky boss is waitin' at the big ranch house door
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "Slow Rider"?
Johnny Cash performs "Slow Rider", and this lyric page sits inside the Johnny Cash catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Slow Rider"?
Yes. The related section below points to One and You Are My Sunshine with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Johnny Cash?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Johnny Cash's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on Slow Rider yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.