“Ridin'” by Badger Clark
There is some that like the city—
Grass that’s curried smooth and green,
Theaytres and stranglin’ collars,
Wagons run by gasoline—
But for me it’s hawse and saddle
Every day without a change,
And a desert sun a-blazin’
On a hundred miles of range.
Just a-ridin’, a-ridin’—
Desert ripplin’ in the sun,
Mountains blue among the skyline—
I don’t envy anyone
When I’m ridin’.
When my feet is in the stirrups
And my hawse is on the bust,
With his hoofs a-flashin’ lightnin’
From a cloud of golden dust,
And the bawlin’ of the cattle
Is a-comin’ down the wind
Then a finer life than ridin’
Would be mighty hard to find.
Just a-ridin’, a-ridin’—
Splittin’ long cracks through the
air,
Stirrin’ up a baby cyclone,
Rippin’ up the prickly pear
As I’m ridin’.
I don’t need no art exhibits
When the sunset does her best,
Paintin’ everlastin’ glory
On the mountains to the west
And your opery looks foolish
When the night-bird starts his tune
And the desert’s silver mounted
By the touches of the moon.
Just a-ridin’, a-ridin’—
Who kin envy kings and czars
When the coyotes down the valley
Are a singin’ to the stars,
If he’s ridin’?
When my earthly trail is ended
And my final bacon curled
And the last great roundup’s finished
At the Home Ranch of the world
I don’t want no harps nor haloes
Robes nor other dressed up things—
Let me ride the starry ranges
On a pinto hawse with wings!
Just a-ridin’, a-ridin’—
Nothin’ I’d like half so well
As a-roundin’ up the sinners
That have wandered out of Hell,
And a-ridin’
About the poet Badger Clark
Summary and Analysis of “Ridin’” by Badger Clark (1922)
Badger Clark’s iconic poem “Ridin’,” first published in 1922, is a quintessential piece of American cowboy poetry that celebrates the untamed beauty of the West and the profound sense of freedom found in a life spent on horseback. Known for his vivid imagery and rhythmic lyricism, Clark paints a portrait of a cowboy’s existence—marked by wide-open landscapes, blazing sun, and the unshakable joy of “just a-ridin’.”
A Tribute to the Cowboy Life
The poem contrasts two ways of life: the modern, urban environment filled with “theaytres,” “wagons run by gasoline,” and “grass that’s curried smooth and green,” versus the raw, natural life of a cowboy. Clark rejects the luxuries and constraints of city life in favor of the harsh yet freeing reality of the range, where the sun scorches the horizon and one’s world stretches “a hundred miles” wide.
The repeated refrain—“Just a-ridin’, a-ridin’”—becomes a musical echo throughout the poem, reinforcing the spiritual simplicity and joy that comes from this nomadic lifestyle.
Wild Beauty and Rugged Romance
Each stanza highlights the elements of cowboy life that make it so appealing: the thrill of galloping across desert terrain, the natural artistry of a sunset, and the haunting songs of coyotes in the valley. Clark makes a compelling case for the cowboy as both adventurer and artist—one who finds meaning not in galleries or opera houses, but in the ever-shifting canvas of the sky and land.
The poem pulses with movement: horses “on the bust,” “hoofs a-flashin’ lightnin’,” and “long cracks through the air.” It’s kinetic, full of dust and thunder, but never chaotic. The landscape isn’t a backdrop—it’s a participant in the cowboy’s journey.
Spiritual Frontier
In the final stanza, Clark leans into the metaphysical, imagining his afterlife not with harps and halos, but with a “pinto hawse with wings” riding across “the starry ranges.” Even in eternity, the poet’s heaven is a wide-open range—where he can “round up sinners” with the same fierce joy he rode with on earth.
This blend of cowboy grit and spiritual longing places “Ridin’” in the tradition of American transcendental poetry, akin to Whitman’s celebration of the self and nature. But where Whitman wandered the forests, Clark’s domain is the high desert and the open plains.
A Lasting Voice of the West
“Ridin’” remains a definitive cowboy poem because it captures the soul of Western life—rugged, free, and unbound by convention. Its charm lies in both its musicality and its reverence for a vanishing way of life. In an era that was already becoming more industrial and urban, Badger Clark reminded readers that there’s still magic in a lone rider under a big sky.
Want to learn more about the poet who gave voice to the Western range?
Visit Badger Clark’s poet bio page on AZPoetry.com and explore his legacy as one of America’s original cowboy poets.
