From the recording Love Has Its Price
Lyrics
Rough, gruff and grizzled,
He walked with a limp.
Herded sheep all alone
On the back side of Timp.
We went up to meet him
At first he had his doubts
Til he saw who we were
Just a bunch of Boy Scouts.
Profanity laced
Every phrase he spoke
He didn’t have much
But, he offered us a smoke
We politely declined
He said
That’s just as well
You don’t want and
You don’t need no coffin nails
They put holes in your pockets
And burn your clothes
And make a chimney
Outta your nose
Such advice on a vise
I could never forget
And I ain’t never smoked
No kind a cigarette.
He rolled his own
And put the filterless tip
On a dark purple spot
On his lower lip
He said do as I say
And not as I do
These cussed things
Fer sure will kill you.
They put holes in your pockets
And burn your clothes
And make a chimney
Outta your nose
Such advice on a vise
I could never forget
And I ain’t never smoked
No kind a cigarette.
An old bent guy
Alone in those hills
Spoke words of wisdom
I remember still
Even though
He is now long gone
His words of warning,
Live on and on.
They put holes in your pockets
And burn your clothes
And make a chimney
Outta your nose
Such advice on a vise
I could never forget
And I ain’t never smoked
No kind a cigarette.
Such advice on a vise
I’ll never forget
I ain’t never smoked
No kind a cigarette.
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Track Notes
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"Sheepherder" is based entirely on a real experience I had on an overnighter I was on way back in my scouting days. The little jingle about smoking in the first half of the chorus is really what he said to us, when we declined his offer. I thought it was clever, and committed to memory, and obviously still recall it. He really did roll his own, he did have that purple spot and he spoke with some really salty language. But, he was the real deal, and offered to us what little he had, which says a lot about his core character.
This song is a tribute to this guy. I don't know where this jingle came from in the first place. I wouldn't be surprised if he learned it from some old guy when he was a kid. I hope this song makes his words live on and on:
"They put holes in your pockets
And burn your nose
And make a chimney outta your nose"
Lyrics: Brad Critchfield
Music: AI - SUNO