The Old Scout’s Lament

[Verse 1]
Come all of you, my brother scouts
And join me in my song
Come let us sing together
Though the shadows fall so long
Of all the old frontiersmen
That used to scour the plain
There are but very few of them
That with us still remain

[Verse 2]
Day after day they're dropping off
They're going one by one
Our clan is fast decreasing
Our race is almost run

[Verse 3]
There are many of our numbers
That never wore the blue
But faithfully they did their part
As brave men, tried and true
They never joined the army
But had other work to do
Tn piloting the coming folks
To help them safely through

[Verse 4]
But brothers, we are failing
Our race is almost run
The days of elk and buffalo
And beaver traps are done
Oh, the days of elk and buffalo
It fills my heart with pain
To know those days are past and gone
To never come again

[Verse 5]
We fought against the redskins
Over valley, hill and plain
We fought him in the mountaintop
And fought him down again
But those fighting days are over
The Indian yell resounds
No more along the border
Peace sends far sweeter sounds

[Verse 6]
But we found great joy, our comrades
To hear and make it die
We won bright homes for gentle ones
And now our West, goodbye