Miralda

Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Robert Hunter

A lyrics in Robert Hunter's book "Box of Rain" and also played live in the early 1980s - see below

Wild stallion, black on white
I've got to trap and ride him
before my neighbor shoots on sight
to find out what's inside him

Blue-black blood and guts of steel
He does not know a master
The wind roars 'round the great divide
Marudio runs faster

I rode eight days to Saratoga
Gambled for a blue-eyed mare
Whose name was sweet Miralda
Pale lank mane like a lady's hair

I bet my saddle, stock and ranch
and all I had to spend
I watched the cards fall in a trance
Ace, king, jack, deuce and ten

My high cards were all diamonds
Jack of spades and deuces wild
My demon threw that jack away
I played it like a child

But with the luck a child may rule
Or some would say the lush
I broke that straight like a holy fool
and drew a royal flush

Oh, Miralda
Whoa - Oh
Miralda
I'll ride you home

I ride Miralda night and day
sleep by her silky side
until I come where my Rancho lay
sidesaddle on the great divide

With painted dust of Arizona
clinging to her hide
Marudio, Cabrone
I've brought you a bride

I feed Miralda golden wheat
Brush her till she flashes
Tether her to a piñon tree
and hide out in the rashes

Dashing through the perfumed wind
I see Marudy falter
I've as good as saddled him
with bride, spur and halter

Deliver me from girls and horses
I can't pick a winner
Miralda looked up only once
then went back to her dinner

Which reminds me of a girl
I loved once long ago
whose name was Esmeralda
from Cuidad Guerrero

Esmerlada could have tamed,
instead indifference served me
Broke my heart and caused me pain
She must have not deserved me

Be that as it may and might
this sad fact I won't alter
Marudio got broke that night
with no spur, whip or halter

"In line with my practice of taking old folk songs and warping them to my own meanings, here's an adventure song about a horse with a bit of a steal from the ox-driver song, of course you'll recognise that. "

Big black stallion, black on white
I've got to catch and ride him
before my neighbor shoots on sight
to find out what's inside him

Just blue-black blood and guts of steel
He does not know his master
The wind roars on the cabin floor
Marudio runs faster

Oh, Miralda
Whoa - Oh
Oh Miralda
To my ride-eo
To Miralda, Miralda, my ride-eo
Rideo-eo to my rudy
Rideo-eo, to my rude-eo
Miralda

I rode ten days to Saratoga
Gambled for a blue-eyed mare
Whose name was Miralda
Pale white mane like a lady's hair

I bet my saddle, stock and ranch
and all I had to spend
I watched the cards fall in a trance
Ace, deuce, jack, king and ten

Oh, Miralda
Whoa - Oh
Oh Miralda
I'll ride you home

The three face cards were spades
The ten was diamonds, deuces wild
My demon threw that ten away
I played it like a child

But with the luck a child may rule
Or some would say the lush
Or you would say the fool
But you dealt my royal flush

Oh, Miralda
Whoa - Oh
Oh Miralda
To my ride-eo
To Miralda, Miralda, my ride-eo
Rideo-eo to my rudy
Rideo-eo, to my rude-eo
Miralda

I ride Miralda night and day
Slept on her silky side
until I come where my Rancho lay
Perched on the great divide

With painted dust of Arizona
clinging to her hide
Marudio, Cabrone
I've brought you a bride

Oh, Miralda
Whoa - Oh
Oh Miralda
To my ride-eo
To Miralda, Miralda, my ride-eo
Rideo-eo to my rudy
Rideo-eo, to my rude-eo
Miralda

I feed Miralda golden wheat
Brush her till she flashes
Tether her to a piñon tree
and hide out in the rashes

Dashing through the perfumed wind
I see Marudy falter
I've as good as saddled him
with bridle, bride and halter

Oh, Miralda
Whoa - Oh
Oh Miralda
To my ride-eo
To Miralda, Miralda, my ride-eo
Rideo-eo to my rudy
Rideo-eo, to my rude-eo
Miralda

Deliver me from girls and horses
I can't pick a winner
Miralda looked up only once
then went back to her dinner

Which reminds me of a girl
I loved once long ago
whose name was Miralda
from Cuidad Guerrero

Oh, Miralda
Whoa - Oh
Oh Miralda
To my ride-eo
To Miralda, Miralda, my ride-eo
Rideo-eo to my rudy
Rideo-eo, to my rude-eo
Miralda

My Miralda could have tamed,
instead indifference served me
Broke my heart and caused me pain
She must have not deserved me

Every way to tell it right
That truth I won't alter
Marudio got broke that night
with no whip or halter

Oh, Miralda
Whoa - Oh
Oh Miralda
To my ride-eo