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Music and
Lyrics
by Robert Owens, May 2010
THE
YEAR
WAS
1894
WITH BIG JOLLY JIM AT THE REINS, THE
LAST STAGE TO THE HOTEL RAMONA WAS BEING REPLACED BY THE TRAIN, WAS
BEING
REPLACED BY THE TRAIN. 
THE TRAIN
HAD REACHED OLD TEMPLETON TOWN,
JUST SEVEN YEARS PRIOR WAS DONE, SO TO GET TO THE HOTEL RAMONA,
THE STAGECOACH
WOULD COVER THE RUN, THE STAGECOACH WOULD COVER THE RUN.
FROM
TEMPLETON
TOWN
THROUGH
TO OLD TORO CREEK, ACROSS CUESTA RIDGE AND DOWN, THE OLD
HORSESHOE CURVE, THE TUNNELS AND BRIDGE, TO SAN LUIS OBISPO TOWN,
TO
SAN
LUIS
OBISPO TOWN.
BUT
AH
LOUIS’
CHINAMAN
BUILDERS FINISHED TUNNELS AND TRACKS FOR THE TRAIN, SO
THE
STAGE-COACH WAS NEEDED
NO
MORE,
BIG JOLLY JIM’S WORK WAS IN VAIN, HIS HEART
WOULD NOW SUFFER THE PAIN.
BIG
JOLLY-JIM
FOUND
A
NICE QUIET SPOT, AT THE BOTTOM OF TORO CREEK ROAD, THE
STAGE-COACH STILL STANDS WHERE HE LEFT IT THAT DAY, IT’S PARKED BY THE
SIDE OF
THE ROAD, IT NO LONGER CARRIES A LOAD.
NOW
MANY
LONG
YEARS
HAVE ALL PASSED AWAY, BIG JOLLY JIM’S SOUL HAS MOVED ON, BUT
THERE’S AN OAK-TREE WHERE HE LIES IN THE GROUND, I KNOW THAT HIS SPIRIT
LIVES
ON, BIG JOLLY JIM’S SPIRIT LIVES ON.
HIS
FACE
CAN
BE
SEEN ON THE TREE WHERE HE LAYS, HE’S GUARDING THE PLACE ALL
AROUND,
YOU SEE HIS SMILING FACE ALL THE DAYS, THOUGH HIS BODY IS STILL IN THE
GROUND,
THOUGH HIS BODY IS STILL IN THE GROUND.
THE
YEAR
WAS
1894,
WITH BIG JOLLY JIM AT THE REINS, THE LAST STAGE TO THE HOTEL
RAMONA, WAS BEING REPLACED BY THE TRAIN, WAS BEING REPLACED BY THE
TRAIN. CINCO
DE MAYO, 1894, THE STAGECOACH WOULD TRAVEL NO MORE.
*Bob
Owens’ poem is a lyrical fantasy-vision. No human remains are interred
here or
on any Last Stage West property. Thanks, Bob!
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