Yippee-Yey-Yah! It’s another day to sing. And this one comes to us from those dusty trails the cattle roam to head back to the range. I imagine the cowboys driving the herd singing this one to pass the time and soothe the animals. Writing these lyrics made me think of the movie ‘City Slickers‘ starring Billy Crystal, and adventures they had moving the herd!
I created this piece by writing the chorus in large brown ink, and splattered it with a darker brown ink. I then utilized architect’s tape to create a vertical channel for the black lettering. I wrote the entire song three times, each time overlapping the previous vertical words. I wanted to see how the lettering would look once it overlapped. It is not as distinctive as I thought, so lessons learned is to overlap more.
So saddle up, jingle your spurs and use your best cowboy voice for this one…
As I was a-walking along one morning for pleasure
– Traditional Cowboy Song
I spied a cowpuncher come riding along
His hat was pushed back and his spurs were a-jangling
And as he approached, he was singing this song:
Yip-Pee-Yay, Hi-Yo!
Git along little dogies
It’s your misfortune and none of my own
Yip-Pee-Yay, Hi-Yo!
Git along little dogies
For you know Wyoming’ll be your home.
When I was young, we rode a cattle drive in Colorado during a vacation. It was only one day, and yet it made me feel like a real cow girl! The horses smelled, spit, walked along the ridge and the dust blew in our faces. I had a little bit of trepidation as I was not experienced in riding a horse. After a few hours I got used to the sway and flow of the horse’s gate, along with the muscle pain in my legs and bum! It was a blast and I would do it again in a heartbeat!
What I remember most about that ride was being able to experience the cow girl life style. Eating outdoors with food we cooked over a fire. Watering the horses and ourselves. Feeling “in control” of another being, when in all actuality the horse was probably more in control of me! All while traveling, seeing the sights, feeling the wind in my hair AND smelling the cattle and horse as we moved along the range. It was so different than my suburban life, and a true adventure! Yee HA!
I wish for you the chance to experience something VERY different than your current way of life. It provides perspective, reflection, and helps you appreciate the blessings you currently live out each day! And here’s another Yee-HA!
We will saddle up again tomorrow…so mosey along until then!
