Artist: Andrea Rieber

The Lyric category winner of the 9th Annual Great American Song is Andy Rieber, who makes her home outside of Bandon, Oregon.

Her song lyric "Big Montana Sky" impressed the judges with its "emotionally engaging" and "vividly descriptive" lyrical story.

Andy is a writer who specializes in cowboy, Western and country themes. Her lyrics are often drawn from her own personal experiences working on ranches, or based on real people and places.

Andy knows whereof she writes. She has worked on cattle ranches in Utah, Nevada, Maryland and Montana.

"I became inspired to write these songs because I want to represent to people the subtle beauties of this slowly disappearing way of life," she says. Her song "Harvest of Gold" earned an honor award in last year's Great American Song Contest.

Below, printed by permission, are the lyrics to Andy Rieber's winning song lyric, "Big Montana Sky."

To find out more about Andy and her song lyrics, visit:
www.sonicbids.com/AndyRieber

<>

Big Montana Sky
©  Andrea Rieber 2007

Beneath big skies on the T Bar Y, forty years I worked there til'
The old folks sold out to the bank 'cause cows couldn't pay the bills
A Denver lawyer bought the place for a trophy ranch estate
The realtor came, took down the T Bar name
And put a padlock on the gate.

Cowboyin's all that I've ever known
Sunset comes swiftly, all purple and roan
This land's worth a ransom, and so when I die
Please save me a few acres of that Big Montana Sky

That lawyer drives up here a couple times a year in a Cadillac SUV
With his CEO friends lookin' to bag the dandy elk I used to see
They'll be huntin' til the night falls, you can hear them shootin' still
But there ain't no sound like the peace I found
Trailin' cattle through them hills

Cowboyin's all that I've ever known
Sunset comes swiftly, all purple and roan
This land's worth a ransom, and so when I die
Please save me a few acres of that Big Montana Sky

Now I'm rentin' a motel room by the month south of Great Falls
With a one-ring hot plate burner and asbestos in the walls
Once I dreamed I'd have a few acres, a couple cows to call my own
But all I can scratch is an eight-foot patch
Where I'll lay these crippled bones.

Cowboyin's all that I've ever known
Sunset comes swiftly, all purple and roan
This land's worth a ransom, and so when I die
Please save me a few acres of that Big Montana Sky

Cowboyin's all that I've ever known
My sun's goin' down and my years have all flown
Montana's ground is something only big money can buy
But this blue vault above Montana…
        …is still anybody's sky.

©Andrea Rieber 2007

.  .  .  .  .