A LEGEND IN THE MAKING

In the little town of Winterset,
On the 26th of May.
Clyde and Mary Morrison
Gave birth to Duke that day.

In the year of our Lord, 1907
The start of a legend began.
They named him Marion Morrison,
But he was no mortal man.

His life as a boy was difficult.
His parent's fighting was alarming.
They moved around allot those days
Even trying their hand at farming.

After High School, he applied to Annapolis,
A Naval Officer he wanted to be.
But when he didn't get admitted,
He played football at U.S.C.

To help pay his way through college.
And to help with room and board.
He worked part time at Fox Studios,
Where he met a man named Ford.

Through an injury, he lost his scholarship.
So he went to work full time.
Proppng on studio movie sets,
And from the bottom he would climb.

In his first rolls, he was background.
Just a person in the crowd.
But soon he got a speaking part.
There was no holding him down.

After getting a few parts under his belt,
He was offered the lead in THE BIG TRAIL
He thought his break had finally come.
It broke his heart to see the film fail.

So he put his nose to the grindstone,
Making quicky westerns left and right.
And all the while, from the background,
John Ford kept him in his sight.

After Ford thought Duke had seasoned enough,
And to help his friend in need.
He was making a film titled STAGECOACH,
And wanted Duke to play the lead.


The film became a critical success.
Duke had finally became a star.
When it came to making Westerns,
Duke and Ford had set the bar.

In a career that spanned 50 years,
Slowly the legend grew.
From Cowboy to Soldier. Coach to Cop
He became the greatest, tried and true.

No matter how big he became on the screen,
He was bigger in real life.
He was a man of men, a real true friend
Through happy times or strife.

Never afraid to speak his mind
His opinions, he did inject.
But whether they loved or hated him.
He earned the people's respect.

His love of country was legendary,
He took pride in the U.S.A.
"The greatest country anywhere."
You would always hear him say.

It's been decades since we lost him.
But he never left, you see.
The imprint he left on all of us,
He carries on through you and me.


Long Live The Duke!


Mark Wild