Along about eighteen and twenty-five
i left tennessee very much alive
i never would have made it through the arkansas mud
if i hadn't been a-riding on the tennessee stud

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the tennessee stud was long and lean
the color of the sun and his eyes were green
he had the nerve and he had the blood
and there never was a horse like the tennessee stud

i had some trouble with my sweetheart's pa
one of her brothers was a bad outlaw
i sent her a letter by my uncle thud
and i rode away on the tennessee stud
One day i was riding in a beautiful land
i run smack into an indian band
they jumped their nags with a whoop and a yell
and away we rode like a bat out of hell
I circled their camp for a time or two
just to show what a tennessee horse can do
the redskin boys couldn't get my blood
'cause i was a-riding on the tennessee stud
I drifted on down into no man's land
i crossed the river called the rio grande
i raced my horse with the spaniards bold
'til i got me a skinful of silver and gold
Me and a gambler, we couldn't agree
we got in a fight over tennessee
we jerked our guns, he fell with a thud
and i got away on the tennessee stud
Well i got as lonesome as a man can be
a-dreaming of my girl in tennessee
and the tennessee stud's green eyes turned blue
'cause he was a-dreaming of a sweetheart too
I loped on back across arkansas
and i whupped her brother and i whupped her pa
i found that girl with the golden hair
and she was a-riding on a tennessee mare
Stirrup to stirrup and side by side
we crossed the mountains and the valleys wide
we came to big muddy and we forded the flood
on the tennessee mare and the tennessee stud
Pretty little baby on the cabin floor
and a little horse colt playing 'round the door
i love the girl with the golden hair
and the tennessee stud loves the tennessee mare.