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And the Horse Began to Dance

from Beyond the Borders by James Houlahan

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lyrics

in the middle of the Spring
on a Rocky Mountain trail
a white stallion walking
with his rider so pale

the clouds began to gather
and a storm was close at hand
as thunder boomed and rumbled
down upon the land

and instead of getting scared
and running for the hills
he swayed a little
and began to prance

and the rider he was stricken
by a lightning bolt of thought:
“I believe
this horse can dance

this horse can dance
this horse can dance
I believe
this horse can dance”

in the center of the town
on a hot August day
the bar was filled with people
and sounds of drink and play

the white stallion was tethered
to a hitching post outside
he pawed the ground nervously
and sniffed the sky

and in the corner of the bar
the rider he was selling
his steed to a man
that he’d met by chance

and the horse was then delivered
to a Wild West show
where every night
he was made to dance

he was made to dance
he was made to dance
where every night
he was made to dance

the trainer of the show t
aught that horse to hear
gun shots like thunder bolts
in a firefight of fear

and for many years he did perform
for crowds around the world
when the cowboys killed the Indians
and chaos around him swirled

but at last the horse got tired
no longer moved to dance
he was given to another
whose race was run

an old Lakota holy man
by the name of Sitting Bull
and away they rode
into the sun

into the sun
into the sun
and away they rode
into the sun

Sitting Bull retired
to his home in Standing Rock
back among his people
like a shepherd to his flock

but one cold December day
the white man hatched a plan
to stop the Ghost Dance movement
they’d arrest that man

but when they tried to take him
a crowd began to swell
so they shot him down
in a white man’s trance

and the horse was tied outside
a witness to the crime
and when he heard those guns
he began to dance

he began to dance
he began to dance
when he heard those guns
he began to dance

credits

from Beyond the Borders, released November 18, 2022

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James Houlahan Los Angeles, California

James Houlahan is a singer, songwriter, and guitar player based in Los Angeles, California. A founding member of Boston-area bands such as Dogs on Television and The Jody Grind, Houlahan has come to be known as a songsmith who channels both tradition and poetic innovation, rooted in dark folk sounds and eclectic Americana. ... more

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