Rusty Cage - Pancho and Lefty (Townes Van Zandt)

"Pancho and Lefty" by Townes Van Zandt, Cover by Rusty CageShow more

I first heard Pancho and Lefty when my father played it back in the day. I never knew who it was until my sister once told me to look up Townes Van Zandt , to which I was greatly happy that I did. The way he sings it , in my opinion, is much better than you will hear Willy Nelson, Merle Haggard, or even Bob Dylan sing it. Their versions are good, but they just cant fully compare to the emotion Van Zandt puts into it. I hope to one day write a song as good as this one.

I am Rusty Cage, a singer/songwriter from Gainesville, Florida. Most people know me from my song "The Knife Game Song", but I also make all kinds of other music and videos, from folk, blues, hip-hop, skits and more. Covers and originals. Visit my channel and give it a listen.
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Lyrics:
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

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
Pancho met his match you know
On the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dying words
That's the way it goes

All the federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him hang around
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
They only let him slip away
Out of kindness I suppose

The poets tell how Pancho fell
Lefty's livin' 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
Now he's growing old

A few gray federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him go so wrong
Out of kindness I suppose

Rusty Cage