Prompt / Lyrics
[Verse 1] Sold my plow Kissed Ma goodbye Left my name on the red barn door One small trunk and a borrowed Bible Chasin' tales from a country store Wagon wheels in the springtime mud Blistered hands on a hickory rail Sleepin' cold under torn-up canvas Countin' stars on the Oregon Trail [Chorus] I'm a forty-niner Rollin' west With a map of dust across my chest Trade my past for a pan of stone Chasin' rivers that cut to the bone If there's gold where the sunset falls Let it shine Let it drown these calls 'Cause a poor man's hope is all I own On this long road to a stake of my own [Verse 2] Buffalo bones and a busted axle Three days lost in the Platte River fog Shared my fire with a Kansas preacher Talked of heaven and a vein in the rock Letters home that I’ll never answer Ink runs thin like the coffee grounds Every mile One more story Every grave One more quiet mound [Chorus] I'm a forty-niner Rollin' west With a map of dust across my chest Trade my past for a pan of stone Chasin' rivers that cut to the bone If there's gold where the sunset falls Let it shine Let it drown these calls 'Cause a poor man's hope is all I own On this long road to a stake of my own [Bridge] Will I strike it rich in some lost ravine (oh Lord) Or just grow old in this same old dream If the hills stay silent and the luck runs dry Bury my name where the Sierra climbs [Chorus] I'm a forty-niner Almost there Boots worn thin and a thousand-yard stare Trade my past for a pan of stone Chasin' rivers that cut to the bone If there's gold where the daylight ends Let it rise like a prayer on the wind 'Cause a poor man's hope is all I own Till I find my shine or I turn back home
Tags
Dusty folk ballad with male vocals, fingerpicked acoustic guitar and mournful fiddle. First verse stays sparse with close-mic vocal; chorus brings in stomp, hand percussion, and low harmonies for a trail-song feel. Subtle upright bass and brushed snare enter second verse, fiddle swells into a small, aching bridge. Warm, intimate mix like a campfire performance, building to a rough-hewn singalong at the final chorus.
Duration
3:26
Instrumental
No
Created
1/30/2026