You are probably wondering where Purt Near came from.
It is actually a poem that has been in the Perkins family for years.
I memorized it when I was very little (I think 4th grade),
and I have recited it at reunions, cowboy poetry, and many other places.
This is a great poem.

PURT NEAR
By S. Omar Barker

They called him purt near Perkins, For unless the bugger lied.
He'd purt near done most everything that he had ever tried.
He'd purt near been a preacher and he'd purtnear roped a bear,
He'd met up with Comanchees once, and purt near lost his hair.
He'd purtnear wed and heiress who had money by the keg.
He'd purtnear had the measles and he'd purtnear broke his leg.
He'd purtnear been a trailboss and accordin' to his claim,
He'd purtnear shot Bill Hickhock which had purtnear won his fame.
He'd purtnear rode the broncs upon which no one else had stuck,
In fact he was the cowboy who had purtnear drowned the duck.
Now mostly all the cowboys on the Lazy S.B. spread,
They took his talkin' with a grin and let him fight his head.
But one named Tom McGuinness sorta told it to him rough.
You're ridin' with an outfit now, where purt near ain't enough.
We tie our lass ropes to the horn, and what we catch we hold.
And purt near is one alibi we never do unfold.
Infact right now I'll tell you, that no two words I hear,
Sounds quite so plain damn useless as that little pair purt near.
Thats how old Tom McGuiness laid it out upon the line.
And like a heap of preachin' talk, it sounded mighty fine.
But one day Tom McGuiness while a ridin' off alone,
He lamed his horse and had to catch some hostile nesters roan.
To ride back to the ranch on, but somewhere's along the way.
A bunch of nesters held him up, and there was hell to pay.
Tom claimed he hadn't stole the horse, just borrowed it to ride.
Them nesters hated cowboys and they told him that he lied.
They cussed him for a horse theif, claimed they'd caught him with the goods
And set right out to hang him in a near by patch of woods.
They had poor Tom surrounded with their guns all fixed to shoot,
It looked like this poor cowboy sure had heard his last owl hoot.
They tied a rope around his neck and throwed it o'er a limb,
And Tom McGuiness purt near knowed this was the last of him.
When suddenly a shot rang out from somewhere up the hill,
Them nesters dropped the rope and ran like nesters sometimes will.
When bullets started wizzin' Tom's heart lept up with hope,
To see old Purt Near Perkins ridin' toward him at a lope.
"Looks like I purt near got here just in time." old purt near Perkins said,
"To see them nesters hang you." Toms face got kind of red.
"You purt near did," he purt near grinned, "They purt near had me strung."
"You're lookin' at a cowboy who has purt near just been hung."
"And also one who's changed his mind for no word ever said,"
"Can sound as sweet as PURT NEAR when a man's been purt near dead!"