Hard Country (The Ballad of the Steep Shouldered Man) Lyrics

There lies a cabin at the foot of the mountains

It's there that he rests his head

In the winter the snow it piles up high

The summer are always wet

He followed the cattle up through the plains

More Angus than he'd ever seen

It's a hard living, but it suits him well

And keeps his conscience clean

It's rough out there

Hard country makes a hard man

It's rough out there

He's a sharper blade than most

And wears his heart on his shirt

I'd trust my life in his calloused hands

He's always been a man of his word

He's been ranching since he was a boy

His daddy had taught him the trade

He lost his daddy a few years back

He was hardened, but he never changed

It's rough out there

Hard country makes a hard man

It's rough out there

If he's no fire to warm his bones

Whiskey will serve him instead

I've never seen him defeated by anything

He'll give up long after he's dead

He'll give up long after he's dead

It's rough out there

Hard country makes a hard man

It's rough out there