In 1948, Stan Jones wrote Ghost Riders In The Sky, which became one of the greatest cowboy songs of all time. It’s a cautionary tale on changing one’s ways, about a thundering herd of red eyed, steel-hooved cattle that endlessly roam the sky, and the cowboy spirits forever damned to chase them. He originally heard the story, perhaps derived from an old European folk tale, when he was 12 years old. The song was recorded by over 50 artists; one of the most popular versions is by Johnny Cash, with a live version here.