Duke Teynor

Cause my mama raised a cowboy

My mama raised me to be a cowboy and praise Jesus on the day of rest. My teaching taught me to honor our country and pray for the safety of our president. My daddy taught me to respect our police officers and our military men and women. God bless my home in North Carolina

Mama’s hands, they weren’t for work in’ dust, they were for folding’ in a prayer

Told me a cowboy’s soul ain’t whole ‘til...

Thank you, God, for my Marines, a father’s greatest prize

I remember tiny hands wrapped around my thumb so tight my little boys with brave, young hearts and eyes so full of light We’d play in fields of summer green, they’d chase a plastic ball Never dreamed they’d trade those toys for a soldier’s call But a family’s call is a different kind, a legacy so deep A promise from the generations that we’re duty-bound to keep

(C...

From this moment on

The sun is setting, painting the sky red and gold. And here we are, standing where a love story is getting old. But every moment feels new, a gift from heaven. Just you and I and the rhythm of this ocean’s eternal love. I hold your hand, I feel your warmth and the salty air on your face. And for a moment, the world stops in this perfect, quiet place. 

(Chorus) Oh, I wish this moment, right here, right no...

Singing my songs for the world to see

My horse, old Blue, he knows the rhythm of my soul

He carries me onward, makes my spirit whole

Past the fields of barley and the mountains so high

Beneath the watchful eye of a clear country sky

I’d sing to the cattle and I’d sing to the trees

As the wind would carry my song on the breeze

Yeah, this life ain’t easy, but it’s the life I chose

From the tip of my hat to the spurs on my toes

Life was never meant to be easy
This song goes out to all the hard working folks out there.

The sun beats down, the trail is long, a dusty, worn-out road

Every cowboy knows the weight of life, a heavy, weary load

The fences break, the cattle stray, a dollar’s hard to find

But a man with a true and honest heart, leaves no one left behind

This world ain’t built for easy days, for smooth and gentle hands

It’s a struggle and a f...

Oh, the years have passed

This song is about the years we has put behind us.
The sun comes up on Carolina shores, and a brand new day begins I’m awake before the birds, just thinkin’ on my sins The smell of coffee fills the air, a quiet, peaceful sound Just the birds a-singin’ hymns, on this holy ground Out here on the back porch, a grateful man I’ve grown to be Feelin’ blessed with every breath, as the Lord looks over ...

I can't wait to see you again..
I wrote this story with a song.

The first golden light of sunrise spilled through the blinds, painting the room in shades of warm amber. He was already awake — had been for a while — his mind buzzing with the image of her smile. No matter how he tried, it lingered stubbornly, brighter than the morning itself.

He glanced at the clock. The hands seemed to mock him, inching forward as if the d...

It’s time I trade my cowboy boots for a fishing pole in my hand

I wrote this song about trading in for a new life..

Been chasin’ longhorn cattle, from sunrise ‘til the dark

Heard the coyotes howlin’, and left my lonely mark

The desert wind was a constant friend, but a lonesome one, I’d say

But the taste of salt on the evening air, washed all that dust away

Traded in my spurs and saddle, for a well-worn, easy chair

Got the window ...

So many have gone to battle, for the red, white, and blue

I wrote this song about my biys.
Dusty roads and open plains, a cowboy’s life I’ve known But there’s a different kind of courage in the seeds that freedom’s sown Crossed the county line just yesterday, the sun was sinkin’ low and I saw the sign for Camp Lejeune, a familiar kind of glow It’s a different kind of frontier than the one out on the trail Where young me...

A Ballad of Dust and Grit: How Country Music Shaped the West

by Duke Teynor
This song goes out to all the people of the US that work

They say the West was built on grit, on sweat, and on the promise of a future you had to claw for. But they often forget to mention the sound that filled those wide-open spaces. It wasn’t just the jingle of spurs or the creak of saddle leather. It was the rhythm of a story, a ballad spun fro...

Sweet Home Jville

 I wrote this song heading to the coastline to fish

Been a long, long time since I seen that eastern sun

Heardin’ cattle up from Texas, a dusty job well done

The cowboy trail was long and hard, the nights were cold and deep

But the thought of you, my darlin’, was a promise I would keep

Got a pocket full of money and a heart that’s beat to stone

But a whisper on the wind tells me I’m not alone

Packed my gear and s...

I’m headed for the coastline

I wrote this song heading to the coast to fish.
The sun comes up on Carolina shores, and a brand new day begins I’m awake before the birds, just thinkin’ of where my day leads Got the keys to my old Dodge Ram, got my coffee in my hand Headin’ out the door, leavin’ this small town land The streetlights fade to early light, on the road I know so well Leavin’ Jacksonville behind me, under the m...

Mama raised me 
I wrote this song about my Mama raing me up.

Dusty old six-string, a memory I hold

Mama’s gentle hands, a story to be told

She’d hum a sweet melody while I was just a boy

In a little cowboy town, full of simple joy

She’d say, “Son, your voice is a gift from up above

Go and sing your heart out, fill the world with love”

But the world I saw was a saddle and a horse

And a dusty old bar where I’d find my true course

...

Every Moment With You

I wrote this song when I was riding back to NC

The sun rises on the Carolina coast, and I’m already thinking of you

The light caresses your side of the bed, that soft and subtle sight

I go out the door, the world roars loud, but my mind is at peace

Because every second, my love, I know you are here

I see your smile in the coffee steam, your laugh in the passing wind

I’m just a man in love, on my knees in pr...

I wrote this when I was in the country

The last few weeks were filled with dust and the lonely prairie sun

Chasin’ strays and brandin’ hides, my cowboy work was never done

But that long and lonesome cattle drive, well, it’s finally in the past

And the dusty old pickup’s pointed east, puttin’ down the miles so fast

The smell of diesel and stale coffee, that’s all I’ve known for days

Now I’m rollin’ down Highway 70, through a Caro...