Title: Folk & Traditional Song Lyrics - Crossing the Divide

Folk & Traditional Song Lyrics www.traditionalmusic.co.uk Crossing the Divide 
Crossing the Divide 
( J. W. Foley(?) 
Parson, I'm a maverick, just runnin' loose an' grazin' Eatin' where's th' greenest grass an' drinkin' where I choose Had to rustle in my youth an' never had no raisin' Wasn't never halter-broke an' I ain't much to lose Used to sleepin' in a bag an' livin' in a slicker Church folks never branded me -- I don't know as they tried Wish you'd say a prayer for me an' try to make a dicker For the best they'll give me when I cross the Big Divide 
Tell 'em I ain't corralled a night in more than twenty Tell 'em I'm rawboned an' rough an' ain't much for looks Tell 'em I don't need much grief because I've had plenty I don't know how bad I am 'cause I ain't kept no books Tell 'em I'm a maverick a-runnin' loose unbranded Tell 'em I shoot straight an' quick an' ain't got much to hide Have 'em come an' size me up as soon as I get landed For the best they'll give me when I cross the Great Divide 
Tell 'em I rode straight an' square an' never grabbed for leather Never roped a crippled steer or rode a sore-backed horse Tell 'em I've bucked wind an' rain an' every sort of weather Had my tilts with A. K. Hall an' Captain R. E. Morse Don't hide nothin' from 'em, whether it be sweet or bitter Tell 'em I'll stay on th' range, but if I'm shut outside I'll abide it like a man because I ain't no quitter I ain't going to change just when I cross the Great Divide 
Tell 'em, when th' Roundup comes for all us human critters Just corral me with my kind an' run a brand on me I don't want to be corralled with hypocrites an' quitters Brand me just for what I am -- an' I'm just what you see I don't want no steam-het stall or bran-mash for my ration I just want to meet th' boss an' face him honest-eyed Show him just what chips I got an' shove 'em in for cashin' That's what you can tell 'em when I cross the Big Divide
 Jack Thorpe printed this in his Songs of the Cowboys, ascribing it to Mr. Foley. I don't have a tune for it. JN JN