Samuel's Blog

Samuel’s Musicians Of The Week: Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard

January 3rd, 2011 at 12:19am

I was reminded of this song almost two weeks ago (it really doesn’t seem that long ago, but it was in the week before Christmas so I suppose it is) when Casey Hendrickson filled in on KCMO is Kansas City. The producer over there goes by the name “Lefty”, which reminded me of this song, not exclusively by Willie and Merle, but I think their version is the best of the bunch. Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard singing Pancho and Lefty.

Livin’ on the road my friend
Was gonna keep you free and clean
And now you wear your skin like iron
And your breath is hard as kerosene

Weren’t you mamma’s only boy?
But her favorite one it seemed
She began to cry when you said
Good-bye, sank to your dream

Pancho was a bandit boy
His horse was fast as polished steel
He 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
Nobody heard his dyin’ word
Oh, but that’s the way it goes

All the Federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him slip away
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 lay poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go
There ain’t nobody knows

All the Federales say
They could have had him any day
We only let him slip away
Out of kindness I suppose

The poets tell how Pancho fell
And Lefty’s livin’ in cheap hotels
The desert’s quiet, Cleveland’s cold
And so the story ends we’re told

Pancho needs your prayers, it’s true
Save a few for Lefty too
He only did what he had to do
And now he’s growin’ old

All the Federales say
We could have had him any day
Only let him go so long
Out of kindness I suppose

A few grey Federales say
Could have had him any day
We only let him go so long
Out of kindness I suppose

Samuel

Entry Filed under: The Sunday Share

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