• Song:

    Poncho & Lefty

  • Artist:

    Townes Van Zandt

C                              G7 
Livin' on the road my friend is gonna keep you free and clean 
F                                      C                 
Now you wear your skin like iron, your breath's hard as  
G7 
kerosene 
F                                 C                  F 
You weren't your momma's only boy, but her favorite one it seems 
C                      Dm                F              
Began to cry when you said, "good-bye", sank into your  
Am 
dreams. 
 
Poncho was a bandit boys, his horse was fast as polished steel 

He wore his gun outside his pants for all the honest world to feel 

Poncho met his match, ya know, on the desert down in Mexico 

No one heard his dyin' words, but that's the way it goes.  
 
 
F                      C                     F       
All the Federales say, they could'a had him any day 
C                 Dm                 F             Am       
They only let him go so long, out of kindness I suppose. 
 
 
Lefty he can't sing the blues, anymore like he used to  
The dust that Poncho bit down south, ended up in Lefty's mouth 
The day they laid poor Poncho low, Lefty split for O-hio 
Where he got the bread to go, ain't nobody knows. 
 
 
Chorus:  (slip away) 
 
 
The poets tell how Poncho fell, Lefty's livin' in a cheap hotel 
The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold and so the story ends, we're told 
Poncho needs your prayers it's true, but save a few for Lefty too 
He only did what he had to do but now he's growin' old. 
 
 
Chorus:  (slip away) 
Chorus:  (go so wrong)
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