Townes Van Zandt — Pancho and Lefty Rear View Mirror Version

[Verse 1] Living on the road, my friend Was gonna keep you free and clean Now you wear your skin like iron 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 [Verse 2] 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 But Pancho met his match, you know On the deserts down in Mexico And nobody heard his dying words Ah but that's the way it goes [Refrain] And all the federales say They coulda had him any day They only let him hang around Out of kindness, I suppose [Verse 3] Well 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 And where he got the bread to go Ah there ain't nobody knows [Refrain] And all the federales say They coulda had him any day And only let him slip away Out of kindness, I suppose [Instrumental Verse: Fiddle] [Verse 4] Well the poets tell how Pancho fell And Lefty's living in a cheap hotel The desert's quiet and Cleveland's cold So the story ends, we're told Pancho needs your prayers, it's true But save a few for Lefty, too He just did what he had to do Aw now he's growing old [Refrain] And a few gray federales say They coulda had him any day And only let him go so wrong Out of kindness, I suppose A few gray federales say They coulda had him any day They only let him go so wrong Out of kindness, I suppose