The Man in the Saddle

Posted by Kashima on May 02, 2005

I am now watching an American Western film made in the 1950's. Its theme song is called "The Man in the Saddle", which is also the title of this film. It is sung during the "long cattledrive" scene. The first verse goes like this:

The Man in the Saddle is a man who rides alone,
Far away from the bunkhouse and his friends,
And the horse he straddles is all he'll ever own,
He's a traveler and his journey never ends,
Get along, old pie, there's a buzzard in the sky,
Shake your tail, shake your tail, shake your tail,
For this desert sand surely ain't the promised land,
And I wouln't be found here dead.

My question is:

Does "pie" mean "magpie"(a type of bird), or something like "old folk/man"?
What about "Shake your tail"? Is it the same as "run away in great haste"or "Beware"?

Could someone please help me with the meaning of these phrases? Thank you!

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