An Ol' Tin Cup (and a Battered Ol' Coffee Pot)

I was riding my horse in the desert

Tired and weary at mind

Not knowing what I was searching for

And not caring what I might find

When suddenly, there in the desert

My old buck stumbled and to my surprise

He uncovered a world of greens right before my eyes

There was an ol' tin cup, a battered old coffee pot

A saddle, a pick and a spade

All but remained from the hopes of a miner

And the wonderful plans he once made

The rusty old rim from the wheel of a wagon

The strings from guitar he had played

Giving mute testimony to the hopes of an old 49er

From the wonderful plans he once made

A handful of nuggets lay gleaming in the sun

Right next to the gun he used to hold

You see, he learned from a friend

That the end of his rainbow was just a bag of fools gold

An ol' tin cup, a battered old coffee pot

A good book, from which he had prayed

Telling the story of an old 49er

Of the wonderful plans he once made

There was a faded picture of a girl there too

In a pretty gingham dress

Rested, near a letter

A letter that told how a stranger had come along and taken her away

And her love for him, had grown cold

Beside that ol' tin cup, and battered old coffee pot

I knelt with his good book and prayed

To the lord, please, take care

Of the old 49er and the wonderful plans he once made