An old cowboy went ridin' out
On a dark and windy day,
Upon a ridge he rested as
He went along his way,
When all at once a mighty herd
Of red-eyed cows he saw,
Plowing through the ragged skies
And up the cloudy draw.
Their brands were still on fire and
Their hooves were made of steel,
Their horns were black and shining and
Their hot breath he could feel,
A bolt of fear went through him as
They thundered through the sky,
For he saw the riders coming hard
And he heard their mournful cry:
Yippee-yi-yo, yippee-yi-ya,
Ghost riders in the sky
Their faces gaunt their eyes were blurred
Their shirts all soaked with sweat,
They're riding hard to catch that herd
But they ain't caught 'em yet,
'cause they've got to ride forever on
That range up in the sky,
On horses snortin' fire
As they ride on hear their cry:
As the riders loped on by him
He heard one call his name,
If you want to save your soul from hell
Ridin' on our range,
Then cowboy change your ways today,
Or with us you will ride
Trying to catch the devil's herd
Across these endless skies.
Yippee-yi-yo, yippee-yi-ya,
Ghost riders in the sky