Friends Don't Say Goodbye

[couchgrouch]

Friends Don't Say Goodbye(They Say Till We Meet Again)When I was just a young boy, roaming my father's ranchold Rufus was a wrangler, who'd treat me like a manand let me taste his moonshine laced Maple syruphe used to take me shootin', taught me to skin rattlesnakeswhen I'd say goodbye at night, he'd give his reins a shakeshow his dusty roots with his bullhide boots in the stirrupsand say, "life is a just a circleson, there is no endone day may be leavin'but another's rolling inso remember when you ridefriends don't say goodbyethey say till we meet again"I still remember hearing, old Rufus was moving onsaid he was much too old for, roping steers at dawnand chasing strays long summer days in Texas sandstormssaid he had ground to cover, 'fore the ground covered himthen he lifted his collar, against the wind looked across the dunes where the crescent moon was a ram's hornand said, "life is a just a circleson, there is no endone day may be leavin'but another's rolling inso remember when you ridefriends don't say goodbyethey say till we meet again"word came from a Montana ranchtwenty years down the linesome old cook dished up snakesserved wicked Sunday hotcakeswith syrup made from moonshinewhen I went to visit himand bring him home for twice the payI found him weak in bedand can't forgetwhat his poor eyes said'fore he shook the reins and rode away"life is a just a circleson, there is no endone day may be leavin'but another's rolling inso remember as I ridefriends don't say goodbyethey say till we meet again"(c)2005 Robert George