For an excellent book on the real cattle drives, read Log of a Cowboy, available for free on my site.

• The terms in this song were actually used by the real cowboys, but for the song they are stuck together to make the song sound good rather than to actually describing events. A trail drive involved hard work, often going for days with no rest, and lasting from 3 to 5 months with no break.
• Rawhide refers the steers. Sort of like saying the hides are in their "raw" state
• Rolling refers to moving the herd along the trail drive
• Swollen streams were infamous for drowning many cattle as they would try to cross
• A dogie is a steer
• "Hell bent for leather" is saying the cowboys are hell bent on sitting in their saddles for months at a time while on the trail drive
• "Move em on" refers to keeping the cattle moving on the trail drive
• "Head em up", is the process of starting the cattle out on the day's move
• "Ride em in", is getting a steer which has broken away from the group back into the herd
• "Cut em out", refers to separating one cow out from the rest, usually for the purpose of branding (something not usually done during a trail drive)
• "Livin' high and wide", could be referring to having a good time in a town along the way

Rollin' rollin' rollin'
Rollin' rollin' rollin'
Rollin' rollin' rollin'
Rollin' rollin' rollin'
Rawhide.....
Rawhide

Keep rollin' rollin' rollin'
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them dogies rollin' rawhide

Through rain wind and weather
Hell bent for leather
Wishin' my gal was by my side
All the things I'm missin'
Good vittles love and kissin'
Are waitin' at the end of my ride

Move em' on, - head em' up, - head em' up, - move em' on, - move em' on, - head em' up, - rawhide
Yeah
Ride em' in, - cut em' out, - cut em' out, - ride em' in, - ride em' in, - cut em out, - rawhide

Movin' movin' movin'
Though theyre disapprovin'
Keep them dogies movin' rawhide
Don't try and understand em'
Just rope and throw and brand em'
Soon we'll be livin' high and wide

My heart's caculatin'
My true love will be waitin'
Waitin' at the end of my ride

Move em' on, - head em' up, - head em' up, - move em' on, - move em' on, - head em' up, - rawhide
Ride em' in, - cut em' out, - cut em' out, - ride em' in, - ride em' in, - cut em' out
Rawhide...
Rawhide...
Rawhide