Pancho & Lefty
Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson Lyrics
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Was gonna keep you free and clean
And now you wear your skin like iron
And your breath as hard as kerosene
Weren't your mama's only boy
But her favorite one it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye
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
Pancho met his match you know
On the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dying words
Ah 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 laid 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 living 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
But save a few for Lefty too
He only did what he had to do
And now he's growing old
All the Federales say
We could have had him any day
We only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose
A few gray Federales say
We could have had him any day
We only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose
The lyrics of "Pancho and Lefty" by Willie Nelson tells the story of two men, Pancho and Lefty, and their different paths in life. The song starts off with a description of the hardships that come with living on the road. It talks about how Pancho's mother was attached to him and cried when he said goodbye. Pancho is described as a bandit boy who wore his gun outside his pants for all the honest world to feel. He met his match in the deserts of Mexico and died without anyone hearing his last words. The Federales claim that they could have captured him anytime, but they let him slip away out of kindness.
Lefty, on the other hand, can no longer sing the blues all night long like he used to, as the dust that Pancho bit ended up in his mouth. When Pancho died, Lefty left for Ohio, and nobody knows how he got the bread to go there. The poets tell how Pancho fell, and Lefty is living in cheap hotels. The song ends with Pancho needing prayers, but the listener is asked to save a few for Lefty too, as he only did what he had to do and is growing old.
Line by Line Meaning
Living on the road my friend
The nomadic lifestyle seemed like a great idea
Was gonna keep you free and clean
You thought that living on the road would prevent the hardships of regular society
And now you wear your skin like iron
The constant travel and exposure has toughened you up
And your breath as hard as kerosene
The difficult living has given you a hard edge
Weren't your mama's only boy
You weren't the only child in your family
But her favorite one it seems
Your mother had a soft spot for you
She began to cry when you said goodbye
Your departure made your mother emotional
And sank into your dreams
She likely misses you and dreams about you often
Pancho was a bandit boy
Pancho was a rebellious outlaw who found pleasure in raiding others
His horse was fast as polished steel
Pancho's horse was incredibly quick and valuable
He wore his gun outside his pants
He carried a gun on his person to intimidate others
For all the honest world to feel
He wanted everyone to know he was armed
Pancho met his match you know
Pancho finally encountered someone who proved to be his match
On the deserts down in Mexico
This event occurred on the hot deserts of Mexico
Nobody heard his dying words
No one was present to hear the words Pancho spoke before dying
Ah but that's the way it goes
Death is an inevitable outcome we all must face
All the Federales say
The law enforcement officials claim
They could have had him any day
The authorities knew where Pancho was but were unable to apprehend him
They only let him slip away
They purposefully did not catch him
Out of kindness, I suppose
They did not apprehend him to avoid certain consequences or complications
Lefty, he can't sing the blues
Lefty is no longer able to express himself musically as he once did
All night long like he used to
His musical abilities have since declined
The dust that Pancho bit down south
Pancho's recklessness caused a storm of dust in the southern region
Ended up in Lefty's mouth
The dust caused by Pancho's destructive ways affected Lefty too
The day they laid poor Pancho low
The day of Pancho's unjust demise
Lefty split for Ohio
Lefty fled to Ohio, most likely to escape certain consequences or to start a new life
Where he got the bread to go
It's unclear how he acquired the resources to leave
There ain't nobody knows
No one is sure how he managed to depart
The poets tell how Pancho fell
The poets romanticize the story of Pancho's tragic demise
And Lefty's living in cheap hotels
Meanwhile, Lefty is living in less-than-ideal conditions
The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold
The contrast between the hot, desolate desert and the frigid Cleveland is stark
And so the story ends we're told
This is the conclusion of the story, according to legend
Pancho needs your prayers it's true
Pancho was misguided, and deserves your sympathy
But save a few for Lefty too
However, Lefty also deserves some empathy
He only did what he had to do
Lefty acted out of necessity
And now he's growing old
Lefty is growing old and likely has many regrets about his past actions
We could have had him any day
The authorities still maintain they could have captured Pancho at any time
We only let him go so long
The authorities purposely withheld from apprehending him
Out of kindness, I suppose
Perhaps they felt compassion for him but didn't act on it earlier
A few gray Federales say
However, some older law enforcement officials believe differently
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Townes Van Zandt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jorge Johnson
Translation:
Living on the road, my friend
Was gonna keep you free and clean
And now you wear your skin like iron
And your breath as hard as kerosene
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
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
Pancho met his match you know
On the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dying words
Ah 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 laid 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 living 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
But save a few for Lefty too
He only did what he had to do
And now he's growing old
All the Federales say
We could have had him any day
We only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose
A few gray Federales say
We could have had him any day
We only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose
J
At the beginning is bob talking about Willie or van Zandt?
bldonthtrx
Willie. This is from a broadcast celebrating Willie's 60th birthday. Bob is talking about Willie.
Alan Weberman
He's talkin' about me man. I only did what I had to do to prevent Bob from ODing.
Alan Weberman
@bldonthtrx dust = garbage as in dustbin Mr. Nothing
Alan Weberman
@mario7frankielee I did but someone else took over this account
Nathaniel Stricker
Two American legends who will never be forgotten. Willie now 88 and Dylan just celebrated his 80th. Time sure does fly. It will be a day of mourning when we lose either of these men.
Gloria Buchanan
Love them both♥️
Judith Leanesbrown
Willie and Bob all time favorites, amazing musicians
Judith Leanesbrown
Nathaniel Stricker thanks for sharing this GEM love it
Tom Gebarowski
True sentiments, they are both American treasures whose voices are more important than ever in our tumultuous times regardless of their age. These men have a conscience, and have always spoke to our consciences during troubled times.
As we continue to face Covid, mass shootings, Putin's assault on poor Ukraine, we need our great poets & rock stars to come forward like they did in the 1960's.
We need their message songs to educate & inspire us, to raise our consciousness and call us to action. Crosby, Stills & Nash, Neil Young, and Bono of U2 fit this category well too. I love Dylan and Nelson, and their moving version of this great song Poncho & Lefty. They may be old now, but they're not going anywhere just yet, they are national treasures! I hope they stay around long enough to teach & inspire the next great batch of songwriters and musicians to follow in their footsteps and carry on the tradition. Thank God for these two legends!