Ranch School Boys:

Up on the Pajarito Plateau,
That's where the bravest of young men go.
Up in the sky where the air is so thin
That the birds can hardly fly,
That's where little boys nearly die.

Up where nobody knows
If you should get lost
If you'll ever come home.
Up where being a man
Is all that you have
To be all that you can be

Up there on the Pajarito Plateau
You can be killed by a rabid bear.
Rattler snakes can attack you
Or didn't you know they're up there
Waiting for you to make one mistake.

Up where we were all sent
To learn how to grow
Into stalwart young men,
Sent from Chicago because
We couldn't play football
Or get into Princeton or Yale!

From the Pajarito Plateau
We’ve come from saying our last goodbye.
Why did the government close it
Is something we’d like to know
But ours is only to do or die.

Soon we’ll be joining the thousands
Of Air Force recruits. We’ll be sailors and soldiers.
Soon we’ll be grateful the Ranch School
Prepared us to carry the world on our shoulders.

Now on the Pajarito Platteau
There’s just the hoot of a keen-eyed owl.
Off in the distance you’ll hear
If you carefully strive to listen
One lonely wolf as she starts to howl.