Delbert McClinton - Pancho & Lefty Lyrics
Livin' on the road my friend was gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron, your breath is 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
He wore his gun outside his pants for all the honest world to feel
Pancho met his match you know on the desert down in Mexico
Nobody 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
Now Lefty, he can't sing the blues all night long like he used to
The dust that Pancho bit down south it ended up in Lefty's mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low, Lefty split for Ohio
All the Federales say they could have had him any day
They only let him slip away out of kindness I suppose
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 and now he's growin' 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
A few gray Federales say they could have had him any day
They only let him go so wrong out of kindness I suppose
Other Lyrics by Artist
- Delbert McClinton - The Rub
- Delbert McClinton - Baggage Claim
- Delbert McClinton - Birmingham Tonight
- Delbert McClinton - Squeeze Me In
- Delbert McClinton - When Rita Leaves
- Delbert McClinton - Gotta Get It Worked On
- Delbert McClinton - Livin' It Down
- Delbert McClinton - Tina
- Delbert McClinton - You Got Me Hummin'
- Delbert McClinton - Crying Over You
- Delbert McClinton - I Ain't Never
- Delbert McClinton - These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
- Delbert McClinton - All Night Long
- Delbert McClinton - Don't Leave Home Without It
- Delbert McClinton - Lone Star Blues
- Delbert McClinton - Blues About You Baby
- Delbert McClinton - Everything I Know About The Blues
- Delbert McClinton - Jungle Room
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Delbert McClinton Pancho & Lefty Comments
Best version yet.
I "second" all of the comments below! Also first heard on "American Routes." Excellent NPR show from N.O., La. ---give it a listen....you won't regret it!
DELBERT MCLINTON OLD SCHOOL MY MAN!!
Love this version!
Just heard it on NPR's American Roots, recommended by Nick Spitzer, as the past version. It is excellent.
His Texas accent really comes out in this one.
all due respect to townes and willie and merle but this is the best version of this song.
EmmaLou Harris did a great version as well.