Cowboy Moon

Bob Nolan?
No Copyright

Always alone it seems
Wrapped in mystic dreams
Riding on high there in the sky
Shedding its mellow beams.

Is a cowboy moon full and grand
Making diamonds glow in the sand
A whippoor-will calls to his feathered mate
While a lobo screams his challenge of hate.

I breathe a sigh as the light slowly dies
Day is breaking too soon –
For in this old west the things I love best
Is the desert stars and the moon.

This is a mystery piece because, although it does sound like Bob Nolan, it is written in an unknown hand. It was found in the effects of an old friend of Nolan, in a collection of memorabilia which included several of Bob's songs in his own hand. We have found no recording, sheet music or even copyright information.

Hundreds of Bob Nolan's songs were lost in a garage fire so we are constantly on the lookout for bits and pieces he left with friends. He wrote on whatever paper was handy when the spirit moved him—and left them behind. He also had his friends copy them out for him because he was embarrassed about his poor spelling. This lyric sheet was found in the effects of Frances Shepp Irvine Longstreet, one-time secretary to the Sons of the Pioneers who also wrote an article about Bob.

We are in the process of researching the composer. It is possible that Bob dictated it to one of his friends because it is definitely not his handwriting. It is equally possible that someone else wrote it. Because of the provenance, we will assume it is his and include it as a possible Nolan song until we learn otherwise.

We invite the reader to contact us if you have any information at all about this lyric.