West of Rt. 28
Words and Music by Tom May


Route 28 in Wyoming goes up over historic South Pass on the Oregon Trail. Written in the Rawhide Motel in Jackson.


Verse 1
Yesterday the Indian paintbrush, brightly colored the western hills
I thought those endless skies were a shade of never ending blue
We walked the bright Dakota trails
Filled the night with songs and laughter
How did this lonely road, take me so many miles from you

Chorus
Cause there’s a full moon over the Wind River Mountains, tonight I miss you socold
The snow is falling on the plain
The is kickin’ up the weather’s turnin’ rougher there’s ice on the eastbound freight
Forgotten highways and calls I couldn’t make
Cause I’m over South Pass now, west of Rt. 28

Verse 2
The antelope look for forage, as Wyoming turns to white
I recall the year November was filled with the fire that we knew
But tonight, it’s just a motel room; a novel full of chance and travel
But I would give up every choice this evening, to lay again with you

Chorus
Cause there’s a full moon over the Wind River Mountains, tonight I miss you socold
The snow is falling on the plain
The is kickin’ up the weather’s turnin’ rougher there’s ice on the eastbound freight
Forgotten highways and calls I couldn’t make
Cause I’m over South Pass now, west of Rt. 28

Verse 3
As the north star nears the horizon, the winter will soon arrive
With icy winds to freeze the lakes and cover them with snow
When that star is burnin’ bright, I think of your smile in the candlelight
And long for the nights, safe from the cold, that we used to know.

Chorus
Cause there’s a full moon over the Wind River Mountains, tonight I miss you socold
The snow is falling on the plain
The is kickin’ up the weather’s turnin’ rougher there’s ice on the eastbound freight
Forgotten highways and calls I couldn’t make
Cause I’m over South Pass now, west of Rt. 28

©1993 Blue Vignette Publishing, ASCAP