He came out of nowhere
that fateful day,
Where he really came from
he never did say.
Some said north from the
town of Milwaukee
Others said he was
a tough customer from the
great state of Missouri.

We were in the middle of that cattle drive onto Abiliene
It was late, the men were hungry, they were getting mean.
“Come and get it”, the wagon cook cried
I was so hungry I would of settled for a piece of rawhide.
I was first in line but felt a sense of dread,
Then I saw the menu, beans again, and bread.
“It’s inhumane”, I cried
“Plain old beans again with bread on the side.”

Then He Came
He rode a big white horse and the wind began to blow
The stranger came into camp and said, “I’ll run this show.”
He opened his coat as if to reveal a gun
But out came cooking utensils one by one.
He flashed a silver ladle up into the air
Up came a wagon appearing out of nowhere.
It was a metal wagon with pots all ablaze
“Try some of this grub”, he said, “for a few days.”
The bowls passed ‘round and the men began to eat,
It was savory with spices, beans and juicy bits of meat.
We filled our bellies full and slept peacefully ‘til dawn
When we woke up the stranger was gone.
We hollered after him, our voices echoed off the land
All we heard was a returning whisper,
Chilliman, Chilliman, Chilliman.