The Ballad of Pogue & Elms

My name is Conley Elms
I died in 1981
Gunned down in cold blood
By an outlaw on the run
On a cold gray afternoon
I felt that bitter chill
By the banks of the Owyhee
And my soul it lives there still
My partner William Pogue
He fell that day with me
A straight and honest lawman
As fair as he could be
His good name put on trial
We watched in disbelief
As the system we relied on
Set a killer all but free
But with every freedom comes
An even greater cost
The answer seldom easy
The question sometimes lost
For though our lives were shortened
Our work was not in vain
And given one more chance
I’d wear that badge again
Now many years gone by
Our families carry on
Though our lives have been lost
Our legacy grows strong
And every man must answer
For the things that he has done
We find our peace in knowing
The judgment day shall come
Convictions forged in campfires
For the work we live and breathe
Let the burden be to those
Who live farther on than me
The Owyhees to the Sawtooths
Let the Boise run its miles
And let our memory’s stand
For all that there lives wild…
For with every freedom comes
An even greater cost
The answer seldom easy
The question sometimes lost
For though our lives were shortened
Our work was not in vain
And given one more chance
I’d wear that badge again
Given one more chance
I’d wear that badge again