Emmylou Harris Pancho And Lefty Lyrics

Pancho And Lefty Lyrics

(Townes van Zandt)

Livin` on the road my friend 
Was gonna keep you free and clean 
Now you wear skin like iron 
And your breath`s as hard as kerosene 
You weren`t your mama`s only boy 
But her favorite one it seems 
She began to cry when you said goodbye 
And sank into your dreams 

Pancho was a bandit, boys 
His horse was fast as polished steel 
Wore his gun outside his pants 
For all the honest world to feel 
Well, Pancho met his match you know 
On the deserts down in Mexico 
And nobody heard his dyin` words 
Ah but that`s the way it goes 

All the Federales say 
Could of had him any day 
Only let him any day 
Hang around 
Out of kindness I suppose 

Lefty, he can`t sing the blues 
All night long like he used to 
The dust that Pancho bit down south 
Ended up in Lefty`s mouth 
The day they laid poor Pancho low 
Lefty split for Ohio 
Where he got the bread to gop 
There ain`t nobody knows 

Well, the poets tell how Pancho fell 
And Lefty`s livin` in a cheap hotel 
The dessert`s quiet and Cleveland`s cold 
So the story end`s, we`re told 
Pancho needs your prayer`s it`s true 
But save a few for Lefty too 
He just did what he had to do 
And now he`s growin` old 
A few gray Federales say 
Could have had him any day 
Only let him go so long 
Out of kindness I suppose