Chris Ledoux, The Bull Rider Tabs

THE BULL RIDER
by CHRIS LeDOUX
Transcribed by Ken Bennett

This is my version of the "Bullrider" from the album Songs of Rodeo
Life" I think Chris originally did it in Eb but I found it was easier to
play in C. He also used a lot of up-strokes and if played right they
really make a difference.

C                               F
I was sittin' in a bar room one rainy afternoon
        C                         F
Tellin' stories about a rodeo and listenin' to a tune
    C                             F
The rodeo starts tomorrow in this one horse town
   G7                      F               C
So Bill took our names and put our entries down
C                              F
I went to the rodeo office the next day to see
     C                           F
What bareback horse I had and to pay my fees
  C                             F
I looked across the list but my name wasn't to be found
  G7                              F             C
I thought Bill just might have forgot to put me down
C                               F
I looked across the board and I happened to find
   C                                     F
My name was on another list I was in the bull ridin'
   C                           F
My knees began to knock and my face began to sweat
      G7                       F            C
And I heaved and gagged on the rodeo office step
C                          F
Well I may be a fool but a coward I'm not
     C                                  F
So I borrowed myself a bull rope with a bell in the knot
  C                                 F
I walked into the arena with them other bull ridin' fools
  G7                         F                C
I walked down the chutes and finally found my bull
C                         F
Then I put my rope in the middle of his back
    C               F
And had some cowboy pull up the slack
       C                          F
Then I wrapped the tail around my hand and back
         G7                         F            C
And said boys open that gate just a little bitty crack
C                          F
Well the bull hit the gate with his head
            C                          F
And I could see over his hump that his eyes were red
   C                              F
He bailed out of there with a big snort and beller
    G7                  F             C
And something inside me told me I was yeller
C                                     F
Well the dust and hair and flies from off of his hump
    C                     F
Did wisk to my nose as he made another jump
        C                   F
And the stink of it all was more than I could stand
     G7                 F            C
So I jerked my wrap and opened up my hand
C                                     F
Well he jumped in the air and he made one more turn
           C                            F
And as the rope slid through my hand it sure did burn
   C                   F
He flung me down in a great big heap
     G7                        F      C
Then right in the middle of me he did leap
no chord    C(single strum)       F(single strum)
With his feet in my belly a standin' in place
     C(single strum)               F(single strum)
That dirty filthy old bull blew snot in my face
        C                        F
So them damned old bulls you can run'em in a chute
    C                      F
And put your ropes on them big galloots
        C                                     F
But the closest you're gonna find me to their stinkin' hair
      G7                       F            C
Is to help some other fool get flung in the air