Willie Nelson - Pancho And Lefty

song written by townes van zandt
sung by willie nelson and merle haggard

( verse 1 )
D
livin’ on the road , my friend
A
was gonna keep us free and clean
G
but now you wear your skin like iron
D A
and your breath’s as hard as kerosene
G
you weren’t your mama’s only boy
D G
but her favorite one , it seems
Bm G A
she began to cry when you said good bye
G Bm
and sank into your dreams
( verse 2 )
D
pancho was a bandit , boys
A
rode a horse fast as polished steel
G
wore his guns outside his pants
D A
for all the honest world to feel
G
pancho met his match , you know
D G
on the deserts down in mexico
Bm G A
no one heard his dyin’ words
G Bm
but that’s the way it goes
( chorus )
G
and all the federales say
D G
they could have had him any day
Bm G A
they only let him slip away
G Bm
out of kindness , i suppose
( verse 3 )
D
now lefty he can’t sing the blues
A
all night long like he used to
G
the dust that pancho bit down south
D A
it ended up in lefty’s mouth
G
the day they laid old pancho low
D G
lefty split for ohio
Bm G A
where he got the bread to go
G Bm
well there ain’t nobody ’knows
( chorus )
( verse 4 )
D
now poets sing how pancho fell
A
lefty’s livin’ in a cheap hotel
G
the desert’s quiet and cleveland’s cold
D A
and so the story ends , we’re told
G
pancho needs your prayers , it’s true
D G
but save a few for lefty , too
Bm G A
he only did what he had to do
G Bm
and now he’s growin’ old
( chorus )
( final chorus )
D
yes a few old gray federales still say
D G
they could have had him any day
Bm G A
they only let him go so wrong
G Bm
out of kindness , i suppose