Brian David Gilbert’s “Pumpkin Cowboy” and Tom Cardy’s “The Ballad of Smokin’ Joe Rudeboy” are at opposite ends of an extremely niche spectrum or alignment chart.
In honor of me getting my Cowboy Cat tattoo today, I realized I never shared Pumpkin Cowboy tattoo on here. I’ll post a healed pic today as well as update w Cowboy Cat.
(I did ask Brian and get his permission to get this tattoo before I got it)
y'all ever heard about pumpkin cowboy (he's a cowboy and a pumpkin and he loves his cattle so but there's no way he gets lumped in with most cowboys you know he's no outlaw and he won't quickdraw for he despises violence take a fireside moon over your saloon as he much prefers the silence now it ain't no bluff that life gets tough for a gourd out on the range but for all the woes of the life he chose he's never seemed to change with a smile wide and a kerchief tied around his neck-slash-waist and he's never riled when a cow runs wild as he'll lasso them posthaste but one day when pumpkin cowboy was out tending to his steer a frightened child came from town with a message soft but clear the townsfolk said that he'd end up dead if he didn't heed their warning for they heard that the cowboy cat would be there the next morning it was well known through the prairie cowboy cat had ruined lives and they said he was a devilish man who liked to play with knives he'd steal your purse and do much worse if a hairball made him grouchy if you summed up some of the things he's done with one word it'd be ouchie (ouchie! ouchie!) though he had heard tales while on the trails of the feline fiend reviled pumpkin cowboy couldn't leave for his cow was now with child if they ran away she'd have to stay and she might not survive so he waited by her side all night for the scoundrel to arrive our hero hadn't realized that he'd begun to doze and his mind was awfully groggy when he finally arose he touched the ground and sadly found the thing that he had feared while he slept under the moonless night his cow had disappeared but a moo came from the nearby field and the cry was harsh and chill cat cowboy held our hero's cow and it looked like he could kill pumpkin cowboy spoke in hurried yells as he pleaded with the cat he'd give him all his ranch and lad he'd let him take his hat but the rascal took no compromise no hat nor ranch nor plain he said the thing he wanted most was just to inflict pain and as pumpkin cowboy heard this he ran at such a clip that cowboy cat got startled and the knife began to slip and they crashed into each other cat and pumpkin flesh and blade and the knife fell to the arid ground and the scoundrel stood then swayed cat cowboy crumpled to the dirt and pumpkin kneeled beside and cow stood vigil next to him as pumpkin cowboy cried he tipped his hat at cowboy cat and stood without a sound and when townfolk came to cheer his name our hero wasn't found some say he started wandering with greener fields to roam but he didn't bring his cattle and his horse stayed there at home the very next morn the calf was born the town's own pride and joy and the folks will regale you with a gorgeous tale the tale of a pumpkin cowboyyyyyyy)?
Hehe I did some Pumpkin Cowboy turnarounds!
In the past when I drew these characters I tried to keep them looking like the original puppets, but decided I was going to lean into them embodying more of the vibe and lyrics of the song.