Traditional Song
(Credited to Tom Grey, Tularosa, New Mexico, 1888)
There was a brave old Texan,
They called him Mustang Gray;
He left his home when but a youth,
Went ranging far away.
But he’ll go no more a-ranging
The savage to affright;
He has heard his last war whoop
And fought his last fight.
He ne’er would sleep within a tent
No comforts would he know;
But like a brave old Tex-i-can
A-ranging he would go.
When Texas was invaded
By a mighty tyrant foe,
He mounted his noble war-horse
And a-ranging he did go.
Once he was taken prisoner,
Bound in chains upon the way;
He wore the yoke of bondage
Through the streets of Monterey.
A señorita loved him
And followed by his side;
She opened the gates and gave to him
Her father’s steed to ride.
God bless the señorita,
The belle of Monterey;
She opened wide the prison door
And let him ride away.
And when his veteran’s life was spent,
It was his last command,
To bury him on Texas soil
On the banks of the Rio Grande;
And there the lonely traveler,
When passing by his grave,
Will shed a farewell tear
O’er the bravest of the brave.
Now he’ll go no more a-ranging,
The savage to affright;
He’s heard his last war-whoop
and fought his last fight.