Pancho and Lefty Lyrics – Townes Van Zandt

Pancho and Lefty is a popular song was originally written by Townes Van Zandt and released in his 1972 album “The Late Great Townes Van Zandt”. Since its release, this song has been recorded by several other artists, most notable being Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. It is part of Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest songs of all time. Get Townes Van Zandt Pancho and Lefty Lyrics in English here.

Pancho and Lefty Lyrics – Townes Van Zandt 

Livin′ on the road, my friend
Was gonna keep you free and clean
And 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

Pancho was a bandit boy
His horse was fast as polished steel
He 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 dyin’ words
Ah, but that’s the way it goes

All the Federales say
They could′ve had him any day
They only let him slip away
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
We only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose

The poets tell how Pancho fell
And Lefty’s livin′ in a cheap hotel
The desert’s quiet and Cleveland′s cold
And so the story ends, we’re told

Pancho needs your prayers, it’s true
But save a few for Lefty, too
He only did what he had to do
And now he′s growin′ old

All the Federales say
“We could have had him any day”
They only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose

A few gray Federales say
“We could have had him any day
“We only let him go so long”
Out of kindness, I suppose