Johnny Cash Streets Of Laredo Lyrics

Streets Of Laredo Lyrics

As I walked out on the streets of Laredo.
As I walked out on Laredo one
day,
I spied a poor cowboy wrapped in white linen,
Wrapped in white linen
as cold as the clay.

"I can see by your outfit that you are a
cowboy."
These words he did say as I boldly walked by.
" Come an' sit
down beside me an' hear my sad story.
" I'm shot in the breast an' I know I
must die."

"It was once in the saddle, I used to go dashing.
" Once
in the saddle, I used to go gay.
" First to the card-house and then down to
Rose's.
" But I'm shot in the breast and I'm dying today."

"Get six
jolly cowboys to carry my coffin.
" Six dance-hall maidens to bear up my
pall.
" Throw bunches of roses all over my coffin.
" Roses to deaden the
clods as they fall."

"Then beat the drum slowly, play the Fife
lowly.
" Play the dead march as you carry me along.
" Take me to the
green valley, lay the sod o'er me,
" I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done
wrong."

"Then go write a letter to my grey-haired mother,
" An' tell
her the cowboy that she loved has gone.
" But please not one word of the man
who had killed me.
" Don't mention his name and his name will pass
on."

When thus he had spoken, the hot sun was setting.
The streets of
Laredo grew cold as the clay.
We took the young cowboy down to the green
valley,
And there stands his marker, we made, to this day.

We beat
the drum slowly and played the Fife lowly,
Played the dead march as we
carried him along.
Down in the green valley, laid the sod o'er him.
He
was a young cowboy and he said he'd done wrong.