The Days of the Rodeo
Post date:
Demo:
Liner Notes:
Inspired by a memorable passage in Rudolfo Anaya's masterpiece, "Bless Me, Ultima." Today's rodeos have their roots in Spanish America; the “rodeo” was the annual cattle round-up.
Lyrics:
The Days of the Rodeo
c. 2020 by Sharon Stepler
I was a vaquero I rode wild and free
On the back of mi caballo
I earned my way with courage and pride
Herding el ganado
No one could equal my skill
At throwing the rope on el toro
In the days of the rodeo
My father’s fathers were strong men and bold
They sailed with Coronado
Crossed a wild ocean to find a strange land
Explored it astride sus caballos
With knowledge they handed down
I learned the ways of el ganado
In the days of the rodeo
If you listen at midnight you still may hear
The hoofbeats of mi caballo
Riding once more with my rope in my hand
After el ganado
Do the bronc-busters and the bullriders
Know of those days long ago
The days of the rodeo?
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Comments
I love this song, Sharon! The Spanish flare to the guitar, the amazing story telling, and the use of language with choice words in Spanish is absolutely perfect! This is so creative and so well done in all respects! Really amazing for a skirmish! And as always your vocals are gorgeous! Thanks for participating!
Very impressive! The Spanish flavor is upheld in all respects, and the sense of pride comes through. At first I thought you were using Spanish to get around the bonus words for extra points, which seemed very wily to me.
But it really was essential for this story of heritage. Well done!
I especially like the ending - what a great way to tie it all through to the ignorance we often have of where things come from. Nicely done!
This is most excellent. You've taken the prompt back in history and told us a story from long ago. The accompaniment is so stylistically authentic it is a perfect bed for the vocal. Great work.
I agree with the others about the Spanish flair and use in the lyrics/rhyming, love that. I also just have a soft spot for this kind of guitar playing and progression...its just one of those things that I love hearing. And your voice is perfect on top of the guitalele, really clear, hits that melody nicely, and the lyrics and your voice compliment eachother.
Enjoyed my listen.
That's a jaunty, memorable tune, and a damned fine lyric, especially for a skirmish. I've read a ton of New Mexico books. I can't remember if that's one I've read and forgotten about or one I've always meant to read. Either way, I should grab a copy (if I don't already own one)
This is great! I was about to regale you with some cattle ranch stories, but remembered you're from NM so probably heard them all hahah
I actually didn't even notice the spanish word choices until I read some other comments
very nicely done! great vocal too.
but went to a few, I assure you most people have no clue where a lot of the rodeo "games" come from. Great tune! that little guitar hybrid thingy sounds amazing! I assume it's just a six string small scale type thing? meh I guess I have google 
There's a prison here in OK that until recently used to do a convict rodeo....never participated
The rhymes in this really add a lot of flair. The lyric lines really "sing". Very nicely put together and this was a skirmish? Wow, nicely done!
Ooh, great Spanish-influenced melody and rhythm. Love that you drew on traditional roots to create this classic piece. Your lyrics are fabulous--narrative and wistful, with lots of nice detail.