Responsible

It would be great if I led this wagon train.
I wouldn't lead us into a soggy clearing of mud
That bogs down the horses and makes the women
Squeal as their skirts drag in the muddy dampness.

It would be great if I led this wagon train.
I wouldn't get lost and go across the wrong river,
Swollen and raging with spring rains,
Nearly losing three teams and a small towheaded boy.

It would be great if I led this wagon train,
I wouldn't nearly cause a fight with the Sioux Indians,
Making the women cry softly in their wagons,
And the men go around with their hands on their weapons.

It would be great if I led this wagon train,
But--
If I led this wagon train, then every person in it
Would look to me for the answers.

Every person here would expect me to pitch in,
To help, to know what to do.
I would have the ultimate responsiblity--
Hold their lives in my hands.

Yes, I could be Wagon Master,
Be the one that everyone remembers
But at what cost?
"The price of greatness is responsibility"
And it would be wise to remember that.