Topic: Sheriff Of Lonesome

Gidday
this is more a story than a poem i guess,but i intend to add a bit of guitar and recite it.
when i woke this morning the whole thing was in my head i just jotted it down straight away.
goodness knows how this stuff ends up in my head or where it comes from.
Sheriff Of Lonesome
It was a sunday morning,all was well & the town was quiet.The sheriff of the town by the name of Tom Sutch sat at his desk
polishing his peacemaker revolver.He was polishing off some clotted blood that was on the butt of the handle.The previous night the gun had lived up to it`s name, when the sheriff had used it on the head of an over excited cowboy.One tap and he had gone down`peace restored`.
Lonesome was usually a peaceful kind of town,but in the weekend things could sometimes get out of hand.the cowboys,prospectors & farmhands would come to town to unwind from a hard weeks toil.Apart from the saloon there wasn`t
anywhere else to spend hard earned money.Often the cowboys would come to town, spending all day in the saloon having whisky for breakfast whisky for lunch and whisky for dinner.
The only alternative was the newly opened fine dining restaurant.it was owned by an asian family who found more gold to be had providing fine food.More than they had made in the fruitless years of gold mining.
Often up to their knees in freezing water 18 hrs a day for little return.
it took some time for the locals to come to grips with the food they served,often featuring exotic spices from the east.But for a cowboy or prospector who had struck lucky, it was the place to impress one of the many young ladies in town.
Yes Lonesome was surely a town on the up.There had been rumours of the railroad heading their way,linking the foodbowl
to the ever increasing demand from expanding cities.
Sheriff Tom was looking forward to civilization reaching his part of the world,as he was tiring of the violence and lawlessness that pervaded his job.
yes a quieter life would suit the ageing lawman.

The King Of Audio Torture

Re: Sheriff Of Lonesome

Yes, more like a narrative or preface to a novel than a poem. That matters not a jot. It's interesting and informative and leaves you waiting and wanting the next installment.

Fine work, let us know when it's up on YouTube or SoundCloud

Ask not what Chordie can do for you, but what you can do for Chordie.

3 (edited by Peatle Jville 2018-01-22 18:52:55)

Re: Sheriff Of Lonesome

EB the wild west had many a saloon fight.  USA was the same as New Zealand in the old days when  the Chinese were treated bad There were many interesting real life characters such as Judge Roy Bean.He was the  owner of a drinking saloon which was also his court room. As a judge, Bean relied on a single law book, the 1879 edition of the Revised Statutes of Texas, and when newer law books showed up he used them as kindling.Bean did not allow hung juries or appeals and jurors, who were chosen from his best bar customers, were expected to buy a drink during every court recess. He was also known for his unusual rulings. In one case an Irishman named Paddy O'Rourke shot a Chinese labourer and during the trial a mob of 200 angry Irishmen surrounded the courtroom and saloon. They threatened to lynch Bean if O'Rourke was not freed and after looking through his law book Bean ruled that "homicide was the killing of a human being; however, he could find no law against killing a Chinaman" dismissing the case. Your idea of the Sherriff hoping for a quiet life sounds good to me. Fertile soil this town and it's people,  I cant wait to hear your recording of this one.

Re: Sheriff Of Lonesome

That's a nice "slice of life" story, EB ...

Events are one thing; but how they affect the thoughts and feelings of the people involved is always the real story, and you've told it very well.

Re: Sheriff Of Lonesome

I have written many western songs and this story interests me a lot. It's hard to figure how these ideas get into our heads. As Phill said I can't wait for the next installment.

Re: Sheriff Of Lonesome

I love the old cowboy films where you have a lone sheriff dishing out justice on the lawless usual out gunned but standing his  ground.  You've got a vivid imagination. I enjoyed the story.

Hard times create strong men,Strong men create good times,Good times create weak men,Weak men create hard times.Cantwere rice INVICTA!