Headed for Wyoming, in 1882
A woman, a team, and a wagon gonna make our dreams come true
Settled in the foothills of the big horn mountain slope
Life is sweet we lived on the meat, of the deer and the antelope

We cut house logs on the mountain, with the team we hauled 'em down
Peeled 'em and we stacked 'em up, for a house and bought some ground
Traded for some cattle, and turned 'em out on the range
The skies were blue and we never knew how things were gonna change

Ole powder river, you're muddy and wide
How many men have died upon your shores
When you brand a man a rustler, he's gotta take a side
There's no middle ground in this Johnson country war

Well, the neighbors stopped by yesterday, while I was outside choppin' some wood
And they filled me in on the local news, ain't none of it sounded good
Said, they'd been some cattle stealin', by some no count outlaw bands
We'd all been branded rustler's by the big ranchers of this land

Well, it was us against the cattlemen, and the years just made it worse
First the drought, then the tough winter, Johnson county had been dealt a curse
Then their came the story about the two dry golgia tax
Ranger Jones and John Tisdale both been shot in the back

Oh, powder river, you're muddy and you're wide
How many men have died upon your shores
When you brand a man a rustler, he's gotta take a side
There's no middle ground in this Johnson county war

Then last night at supper time, riders stopped by chance
They said cattleman and hired guns, just burned the Kaycee ranch
Two men had died this mornin', shot down in the snow
Now the vigilante army was marchin' for Buffalo

Well, the county was in an uproar, an every man saddled up to ride
Caught the cattlemen at the ta ranch, and surrounded all four sides
We hailed the house with bullets and swore we'd make 'em pay
But the cavalry came across the plains, and once again saved the day

Well, they marched 'em off to Cheyenne, and no one went to jail
The cattlemen we're all turned loose, and the hired guns hit the trail
And I guess the only justice, wasn't much to say the least
Last winter me and mine ate mighty fine on the cattle baron's beef

Oh, powder river, you're muddy and you're wide
How many men have died upon your shores
When you brand a man a rustler, he's gotta take a side
There's no middle ground in this Johnson county war
There's no middle ground in this Johnson county war