Through the progress of our country our occupation's gone So we put our ideas into words, our words into a song And somewhere 'tween the wire and the coming of the train We let it slip away and wonder who's to blame Bid them all adieu, you can't turn the world around The cowboy has left the country and the campfire has gone out When I think of those good old days, my eyes with tears do fill I think of the tin can by the fire, the cayote on the hill And I think I'll ride the night guard when the stars are shining bright But now instead the wired fence it guards the heard tonight You'll miss him on the round-up, it's gone, his merry shout The cowboy has left the country, the campfire has gone out I'll tell you, boys, in those days old-timers stood a show Never had much money, not a sorrow did we know But oh how things have changed now, we are poorly clothed and fed Our wagons are all broken and our ponies most all dead Bid them all adieu, we can hear the angels shout "Oh, here they come to Heaven, the campfire has gone out" Well the cowboy, like the red man, you had to leave your land You can't raise your stock, plant your crop in the gumbo and the sand Grieve disguised as progress has put us to the test They won't be glad until we're gone from our home our in the west It's sad to see those good old days replaced with grieve and doubt Soon we'll leave the country, the campfire has gone out Bid them all adieu, you can't turn the world about The cowboy left the country, the campfire has gone out