Livin' on the road, my friend,
Was gonna keep you free and clean,
But now you wear your skin like iron,
And your breath 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.
Well Pancho was a bandit, boys,
His horse as fast as polished steel,
Wore his gun outside his pants,
For all the honest world to feel,
But Pancho met his match, you know,
On the deserts down in Mexico,
And nobdy heard his dyin' words,
Ah, but 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.
And 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.
Now there ain't nobody 'knows.
And 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,
And so the story goes 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,
And now he's growin' old.
Yeah all the federales say,
They could've had him any day,
They only let him go so long,
Out of kindness, I suppose.
A few gray federales say,
They could have had him any day,
They only let him slip away,
Out of kindness, I suppose.
Pancho & Lefty Lyrics performed by Counting Crows are property and copyright of the authors, artists and labels. You should note that Pancho & Lefty Lyrics performed by Counting Crows is only provided for educational purposes only and if you like the song you should buy the CD