Relics Of The Past Lyrics

An old man sadly gazes at the gear hung on the wall
Mem′ries take him through the years he fondly does recall
For here his tools of trade have hung since he used them last
And now the stock man's riding gear are relics of the past

There′s a saddle that he rode in, it could do with some repair
The leather's cracked and hardened for want of better care
Beside it lies a bridle that's seen a better day
Since the last time that he put them in the corner where they lay

As he brushed aside the cobwebs from the riding boots, he knew
And a pair of silver spurs he wore, all but rusted through
He thinks about the cattle and the musters that he′d seen
The hard, rough life of the stock man in the country where he′d been

Oh, he lifts his gaze a moment from the treasures that he found
To where his faithful stock-horse lies beneath a grassy mound
Many years have passed away since he sat astride him last
Time has left her mark upon his relics of the past

There's a battered, worn-out stetson that′s been discarded, too
It's faded, curled and shapeless, and the crown is busted through
Oh, the iron there upon the peg, it was his branding mark
He seems to see the branding fire and hear the heelers bark

And a stock-whip, all unraveled, hangs limply on the door
Oh, the handle′s long been fallen in the dirt upon the floor
And a saddlebag and quart pot that served him through the years
Oh, with trembling hands he holds them and his faded eyes show tears

Oh, he thought that he'd repair them and shine them like a star
But then again decided that he′d leave them as they are
For lying there all old and worn as he had used them last
Brings mem'ries of his younger days, these relics of the past