Garnet Rogers - The Sliprails and the Spur lyrics

The colors of the setting sun Withdrew across the western land He raised the slip rails one by one And shot them home with trembling hand Her brown hands clung Her face grew pale All quivering chin And eyes that brim One quick, fierce across the rail Goodbye Mary Goodbye Jim Oh, he rides hard to race the pain Who rides from love Who rides from home But he rides slowly back again His heart has learnt to love and roam One hand upon the horses mane One foot in the stirrup set And then stooping back to kiss again "Goodbye, Mary, don't you fret When I return" He laughed for her "We do not know how soon t'will be I'll whistle as I round the spur You let the slip rails down for me" She gasped for sudden loss of hope As with a backward wave to her He cantered down the gra**y slope And swiftly round the darkening spur Oh, he rides hard to race the pain Who rides from love Who rides from home But he rides slowly back again His heart has learnt to love and roam Suspect: And so, often, at the set of sun In winter bleak Or summer brown She'd steel across the little run And shyly let the slip rails down And she'd listen there till darkness shut (shot) To hear his spur in silence deep And when they'd call her from the hut Steal home and cry herself to sleep Oh, he rides hard to race the pain Who rides from love Who rides from home But he rides slowly back again His heart has learnt to love and roam And he rides hard to dull the pain Who rides from one that loves him best But he rides never back again His restless heart must rove for rest