We All Knew Their Names
The King of the Cowboys,
rode into every home Saturday mornings,
with Dale, Pat, Nellybelle, and Bullet.
They would take on the bad guys,
ending with, “Happy trails to you.”
Gene Autry and his white hat,
Champion, his Wonder Horse,
would ride across your TV set,
with a song and blazing six-guns;
knowing in advance he always won.
There was Tonto and Kemo Sabe,
thrilling us with those days of yesteryear.
Paladin dressed in black,
a knight’s head on a business card,
the same emblazoned on his black leather holster,
and Maverick, playing the odds through Warner Brothers.
Johnny Yuma was a rebel,
he roamed through the west,
but he never met the Bounty Hunter,
Cheyenne Bodie, Bronco Lane, or Sugarfoot,
and Daniel Boone was before his time.
Although Johnny didn’t believe Zorro was ever real;
to me, he rode like a cowboy.
Saturday mornings and Sugar Pops,
hearing Jingles yell, “Hey, Wild Bill! Wait for me!”
They were mornings of adventure,
where the sun never set in the west.
Other cowboys come to mind,
each with their own code of ethics.
Bonanza had family traditions,
Gunsmoke upheld the law.
Those were the days.
The west holds a history,
for this easterner with dreams.
But thanks to cable and late-night reruns,
dreams come back again.
There are others who come to mind:
Wyatt Earp and his Buntline Special,
Cochise, with his Indian sense of justice;
The Rifleman, a single parent filled with pride.
Yes, we all knew their names.
To Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Gene Autry,
Clayton Moore, Jay Silverheels,
Richard Boone, James Garner,
Nick Adams, Steve McQueen,
Clint Walker, Ty Hardin,
Will Hutchins, Fess Parker,
Guy Williams, Andy Devine,
Guy Madison, Lorne Greene,
Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker,
Michael Landon, James Arness,
Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone,
Dennis Weaver, Hugh O’Brien,
Michael Ansara, and Chuck Connors.
A special thanks to:
William “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd,
who always fought fair,
And George “Gabby” Hayes,
every hero’s sidekick.
Thank you for those thrilling days of yesteryear,
where action never ceased,
and good guys always won.
To paraphrase Gabby Hayes,
“Yer darned tootin’ yes sirre bob!”
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Just a tad bit of Gabby Hayes
and a few “Tall Tales”