00_misc/pancho_and_lefty.htm

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   7 <title>Pancho and Lefty</title>
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  12
  13 <h1 class="songtitle">Pancho and Lefty</h1>
  14
  15
  16 <p>Words and music Townes van Zandt<br />
  17 As performed by Bob Dylan 21 Jun 1989<br />
  18 Tabbed by Eyolf &Oslash;strem</p>
  19
  20 <p>The transcription is mostly true to what Dylan sings. The words within
  21 brackets are either approximations to the sounds that he produces,
  22 whether or not they are meaningful, or, where indicated, Townes van
  23 Zandt's original lyrics.<br />
  24 If anyone with better ears than mine can make out any more of these
  25 brackets, please pass me a note.</p>
  26
  27 <p>You should check out Townes van Zandt's original lyrics too.</p>
  28
  29 <hr />
  30
  31 <pre class="verse">
  32 C                            G
  33 Livin' on the edge my friend is bound to make you [rock a few]
  34 F                                       C                  G
  35 Now your [breath] is hard as iron, your breath is sweet as kerosene
  36 F                              C               F
  37 You was your momma's only boy, favorite one it seems
  38 C                     F           G       F              Am
  39 Began to cry when you said, &quot;good-bye&quot;,*) sank into your dreams.
  40
  41 Pancho was a bandit, boys, [his horse fast] and his hands were free
  42 He wore his gun outside his pants for all the honest world to feel
  43 Pancho met his match, ya know, on the desert down in Mexico
  44 No one heard the dyin' words, but that's the way it goes.
  45 </pre>
  46
  47 <pre class="refrain">
  48 F                     C                     F
  49 All the Federales say, they could'a had him any day
  50      C            F     G            F             Am
  51 They only let him go so long, out of kindness I suppose.
  52 </pre>
  53
  54 <pre class="verse">
  55 Lefty he can't sing the blues, all night like he used to
  56 The dust that Poncho bit down south, ended up in Lefty's mouth
  57 They ['d have sent] for another [jour], all the time, and I'll pace you floor
  58 Only let him go so far, so the story goes.**)
  59 </pre>
  60
  61 <pre class="refrain">
  62 All the Federales say, they could'a had him any day
  63 They only let him slip away, out of kindness I suppose.
  64 </pre>
  65
  66 <pre class="verse">
  67 The poets tell how Pancho fell, Lefty's livin' in a big hotel***)
  68 [The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold]****) it never mattered anyway.
  69 The day that Pancho drift down low Lefty split for Ohio
  70 Where he got the bread to go, ain't nobody knows
  71 </pre>
  72
  73 <pre class="refrain">
  74 All the Federales say, they could'a had him any day
  75 They only let him slip away, out of kindness I suppose.
  76 out of kindness I suppose.
  77
  78 All the Federales say, they could'a had him any day
  79 They only let him slip away, out of kindness I suppose.
  80 </pre>
  81
  82 <p>*) Dylan sings &ldquo;Say goodbye when you say goodbye&rdquo;. I personally
  83 think van Zandt's original is better...</p>
  84
  85 <p>**) Original: &ldquo;The day they laid poor Pancho low, Lefty split for
  86 O-hio / Where he got the bread to go, ain't nobody knows.&rdquo; Dylan
  87 sings that later.</p>
  88
  89 <p>***) van Zandt's hotel is cheap.</p>
  90
  91 <p>****) These are the original lyrics; Dylan's new words are too low to
  92 hear.</p>
  93
  94 <p>Too bad Dylan left out the final couplet, which is worth inclusion:</p>
  95
  96 <pre class="refrain">
  97 Pancho needs your prayers it's true, but save a few for Lefty too
  98 He only did what he had to do but now he's growin' old.
  99 </pre>
 100
 101 <hr />
 102
 103 <h2 class="songversion">Version from Willie Nelson's 60th birthday party (Bob/Willie duet)</h2>
 104
 105 <p>(Thanks to Daniel for the lyrics)</p>
 106
 107 <p> Living on the road my friend, is gonna keep you free and clean.<br />
 108  Now you wear your skin like iron, and your breath is hard as kerosene.<br />
 109  You weren't your mamas only boy, but her favorite one it seems.<br />
 110  She began to cry when you said goodbye, and sank unto your dreams.</p>
 111
 112
 113 <p>Pancho was a bandit boy, his horse was fast as polished steel.<br />
 114  He wore his gun outside his pants for all the honest world to feel.<br />
 115  Pancho met his match you know on the desert down in Mexico.<br />
 116  And noone heard his dying word, ah but that's the way it goes.</p>
 117
 118
 119 <p>Lefty he can sing the blues, all night long like he used to,<br />
 120  The dust that's Pancho's bed down south, ended up in Lefty's mouth<br />
 121  The day they let poor Pancho low, Lefty split for Ohio<br />
 122  And where he got the bread to go, there ain't nobody knows.</p>
 123
 124
 125 <p>The poets tell how Pancho fell, Lefty's livin in a cheap hotel.<br />
 126  The desert's quiet and Clevelend's cold, and so the story ends we're told.<br />
 127  Pancho needs your prayers it's true, save a few for Lefty too.<br />
 128  He only did what he had to do, and now he's growing old.</p>
 129
 130 <p> And all the federales say, They could of had him any day.<br />
 131  They only let him go so long out of kindness I suppose.
 132 </p></body></html>