Hard Country (The Ballad of the Steep Shouldered Man)

There lies a cabin at the foot of the mountains
It's there that he rests his head
In the winter the snow it piles up high
The summer are always wet
He followed the cattle up through the plains
More Angus than he'd ever seen
It's a hard living, but it suits him well
And keeps his conscience clean
It's rough out there
Hard country makes a hard man
It's rough out there
He's a sharper blade than most
And wears his heart on his shirt
I'd trust my life in his calloused hands
He's always been a man of his word
He's been ranching since he was a boy
His daddy had taught him the trade
He lost his daddy a few years back
He was hardened, but he never changed
It's rough out there
Hard country makes a hard man
It's rough out there
If he's no fire to warm his bones
Whiskey will serve him instead
I've never seen him defeated by anything
He'll give up long after he's dead
He'll give up long after he's dead
It's rough out there
Hard country makes a hard man
It's rough out there