☝️ Key Points
- The song is about a young cowboy named Little Joe who flees from his violent stepmother and seeks to build his own life.
- Little Joe finds work as a cattle driver and quickly becomes a valued member of the community.
- When a herd of cattle panics during a stormy night, Little Joe risks his life to stop the leaders.
- Unfortunately, Little Joe dies in the attempt to calm the cattle when his horse falls into a ravine.
- The song tells the tragic story of Little Joe's short but significant time as a cowboy and his heroic sacrifice.
Interpretation
In the song lyrics 'Little Joe the Wrangler' by
Marty Robbins, it's about a young cowboy named Little Joe who has left his days as a cattle driver behind. He arrived at our camp in April of last year, when he was still a little stray boy from Texas.
Little Joe rode into our camp late at night on his pony named Chaw. He looked pretty tough with his work boots and overalls. His saddle was old and worn, but he had a spur on one foot. He carried his belongings in a loosely tied cotton sack and his canteen hung from the saddle horn.
He told us that he had to leave home because his father had remarried for the second time and his new stepmother constantly beat him. So one night, he saddled up his pony and ran away. He said he would try to make it on his own.
We offered him work and he promised to do his best, even though he didn't know anything about cows. Our boss gave him a horse and he somehow took a liking to that little guy. He learned how to drive the horses and soon knew them all. In the mornings, he would bring them in if he could, and he helped with cooking and gathering firewood.
One day, we were caught by a fierce storm and the cattle panicked. We all had to help round them up. Little Joe was called too. Barely had he reached the herd when the cows broke loose and we all rode after them. But there was a horse up front trying to stop the leaders. It was Little Joe, riding Old Blue Rocket with a raincoat over his head.
Eventually, we managed to calm the cattle, but someone was missing. At first glance, we saw that our little Texas stray, poor Wrangler Joe, was missing. The next morning, we found out that Rocket had fallen into a ravine and Joe was buried underneath him. His life was over, the little Texas stray, poor Wrangler Joe.