The painting is so expressive, you can almost hear the words of the poem that inspired it:
"As they was a-ridin' back to camp a-packin' a purty good load Who should they meet but the Devil hisself just a prancin' down the road! Sez he, "You ornery cowboy skunks, you better hunt yer holes! For I've come up from Hell's rim rock just to gather in your souls." Sez Sandy Bob, "Ol' Devil be damned.... we boys is kinda' tight, But you ain't a-gonna' gather no cowboy souls, without some kind o' fight!"
The beloved cowboy poem-"Tyin' Knots in the Devil's Tail"-was written by Gail Gardner in 1917; the painting his family commissioned in 1959 for his 67th birthday present is by George Phippen.
Today it is one of the treasures in the Phippen Museum in Prescott-Arizona Territory's original capital that claims both men as favorite sons.
This story is from the October 2022 edition of True West.
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This story is from the October 2022 edition of True West.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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