A western novelty song set in Arizona, 1912.
words by Grant Clarke
music by Lewis F. Muir, Maurice Abrahams
The sheet music:
Accompaniment:
Lyrics
- Out in Arizona where the bad men are
And the only friend to guide you is an Evening star
The roughest toughest man by far, is Ragtime Cow Boy Joe
Got his name from singing to the cows and sheep
Every night they say he sings the herd to sleep
In a basso rich and deep, crooning soft and low
Chorus
He always sings raggy music to the cattle
As he swings back and forward in the saddle
On a horse that is syncopated, gaited
And there’s such a funny meter to the roar of his repeater
How they run when they hear that fellow’s gun
Because the Western folks all know
He’s a high-faluting scooting, shooting
Son-of-a-gun from Arizona, Ragtime Cow Boy Joe
- Dressed up every Sunday in his Sunday clothes
He beats it for the village where he always goes
And every girl in town is Joe’s, ’cause he’s a ragtime bear
When he starts a-spieling on the dance hall floor
No one but a lunatic would start a war
Wise men know his forty four, makes men dance for fair
Sung here by Fred Feild: