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