Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Leadbelly
Canonical path: /leadbelly/western-cowboy
Related lyric paths: 6
Video embedded: yes
Lyric guide
Western Cowboy
Read Western Cowboy lyrics by Leadbelly 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
Western Cowboy
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.
When I was a cowboy
Out on the western plains
When I was a cowboy
Out on the western plains
I made a half a million
Pullin' on the bridle reins
Come a ki-ki--yicky
Cow, ki-yicky-yicky-yeah
I went to my girl's house
She's sittin' d'ere alone
Went to my girl's house
She's sittin' d'ere alone
I'm a poor western cowboy
A long way from home
Come a ki-ki--yicky
Cow, ki-yicky-yicky-yeah
When I left my girl's house
She was rockin' in her rockin' chair
When I left my girl's house
She was rockin' in her rockin' chair
Poor western cowboy
Please don't you leave me here
Come a ki-ki--yicky
Cow, ki-yicky-yicky-yeah
Went to my girl's house
Sitting deep down in my saddle
Went to my girl's house
Sitting deep down in my saddle
I'm the best western cowboy
That ever herd cattle
Come a ki-ki--yicky
Cow, ki-yicky-yicky-yeah
Oh, de hardest battle
Was there ever on the western plains
Oh, de hardest battle
Was there ever on the western plains
When me an a bunch of cowboys
Run into Jesse James
Come a ki-ki--yicky
Cow, ki-yicky-yicky-yeah
Me an a bunch of cowboys
Run into Jesse James
Me an a bunch of cowboys
Run into Jesse James
All the bullets was a-fallin'
Just like a shower rain
Come a ki-ki--yicky
Cow, ki-yicky-yicky-yeah
Come all you cowboys
Don't you wanna go?
Come all you cowboys
Don't you wanna go?
Gon see the ranges
On the range in *Buffalo
Come a cow ki--yicky
Cow, cow, yicky-yicky-yea
Take de hardest battle
Was there ever on Bunker Hill
Oh, de hardest battle
Was there ever on Bunker Hill
When me an' a bunch of cowboys
Run into Buffalo Bill
Come a cow ki--yicky
Cow, cow, yicky-yicky-yea
Come all you cowboys
Don't you wanna hear?
Come all you cowboys
Don't you wanna hear?
O'vr nineteen hundred
Bullets around your ear
Come a cow ki--yicky
Cow, cow, yicky-yicky-yeah.
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "Western Cowboy"?
Leadbelly performs "Western Cowboy", and this lyric page sits inside the Leadbelly catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Western Cowboy"?
Yes. The related section below points to When It's Springtime In The Rockies and Meeting At The Building with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Leadbelly?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Leadbelly'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 Western Cowboy 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.