Pancho & Lefty
Harris Emmylou Lyrics

Livin' on the road my friend
Being constantly on the move was supposed to give you freedom and a clean slate.

Was gonna keep you free and clean
The promise of adventure and a new start was supposed to keep you pure.

Now you wear skin like iron
Years on the road turned your once soft skin into a tough exterior.

And your breath's as hard as kerosene
Your breath is rough from years of smoking and drinking.

You weren't your mama's only boy
Your mother had other sons besides you.

But her favorite one it seems
But you were always her favorite.

She began to cry when you said goodbye
She was heartbroken when you left.

And sank into your dreams
She retreated into her dreams and memories of you.

Pancho was a bandit, boys
Pancho was a notorious outlaw.

His horse was fast as polished steel
His horse was incredibly fast and strong.

Wore his gun outside his pants
He openly carried his gun in his holster.

For all the honest world to feel
He wanted everyone to know that he was armed and dangerous.

Well, Pancho met his match you know
Pancho finally found an adversary he couldn't defeat.

On the deserts down in Mexico
It happened in the vast and unforgiving deserts of Mexico.

And nobody heard his dyin' words
Pancho died alone and nobody was there to hear his final words.

Ah but that's the way it goes
Sometimes life is cruel and unpredictable.

All the Federales say
The law enforcement officials all agree.

Could of had him any day
They could have caught him any day they wanted to.

Only let him any day
But they kept letting him go for some reason.

Hang around
Allowing him to remain a free man.

Out of kindness I suppose
Perhaps they felt sorry for him or didn't want to hurt him.

Lefty, he can't sing the blues
Lefty has lost his spirit and can no longer play the blues music he used to love.

All night long like he used to
He can't play for hours on end like he used to be able to.

The dust that Pancho bit down south
The dust Pancho kicked up during his last stand.

Ended up in Lefty's mouth
Lefty ended up breathing in the same dust and air as Pancho during his escape.

The day they laid poor Pancho low
The day Pancho was killed.

Lefty split for Ohio
Lefty had to get out of town and decided to go to Ohio.

Where he got the bread to go
How he got the money for the trip is unclear.

There ain't nobody knows
No one knows for sure what happened or how he escaped.

Well, the poets tell how Pancho fell
The artists romanticize and dramatize the story of Pancho's death.

And Lefty's livin' in a cheap hotel
Meanwhile, Lefty is just scraping by, living in a cheap and dingy hotel.

The dessert's quiet and Cleveland's cold
The desert where Pancho died is quiet and peaceful, whereas Cleveland, where Lefty is living, is cold and harsh.

So the story end's, we're told
And so the story comes to an end, as they say.

Pancho needs your prayer's it's true
Despite his crimes, Pancho still deserves some prayers and respect.

But save a few for Lefty too
But don't forget the struggles that Lefty faced as well.

He just did what he had to do
Lefty made tough choices and did what he needed to in order to survive.

And now he's growin' old
Lefty is getting older and weaker.

A few gray Federales say
The old and weary lawmen reminisce.

Could have had him any day
They keep thinking about how they could have caught Pancho at any time.

Only let him go so long
But they chose to let him remain free for a while.

Out of kindness I suppose
Perhaps they were more merciful than people realized.