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Pancho And Lefty by Townes Van Zandt
Pancho And Lefty
The original from The Best of Townes Van Zandt is tuned down a half-step!
Intro:
Finger pick A to Bm
Verse:
D
Living on the road my friend
A
Was gonna keep you free and clean
G
Now you wear your skin like iron
D A
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 goodbye
G Bm
And sank into your dreams
Pancho was a bandit boys
His horse was fast as polished steel
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 dying words
That's the way it goes
G
All the federales say
D G
They could have had him any day
Bm G A
They only let him hang around
G Bm
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
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
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
Now he's growing 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
---------------
version 2
Verse 1.
G
Living on the road my friend
D
Was gonna keep you free and clean
C
Now you wear your skin like iron
G D
Your breath's as hard as kerosene
C
You weren't your mama's only boy
G C
But her favorite one it seems
Em C D
She began to cry when you said goodbye
C Em
sank into your dreams
Verse 2.
G
Pancho was a bandit boys
D
His horse was fast as polished steel
C
Wore his gun outside his pants
G D
For all the honest world to feel
C
Pancho met his match you know
G C
On the deserts down in Mexico
Em C D
Nobody heard his dying words
C Em
That's the way it goes
Chorus :
C
All the federales say
G C
They could have had him any day
Em C D
They only let him hang around
C Em
Out of kindness I suppose
Verse 3.
G
Lefty he can't sing the blues
D
All night long like he used to
C
The dust that Pancho bit down south
G D
Ended up in Lefty's mouth
C
The day they laid poor Pancho low
G C
Lefty split for Ohio
Em C D
Where he got the bread to go
C Em
There ain't nobody knows
Chorus :
C
All the federales say
G C
They could have had him any day
Em C D
They only let him slip away
C Em
Out of kindness I suppose
Verse 4.
G
The poets tell how Pancho fell
D
Lefty's livin' in a cheap hotel
C
The desert's quiet and Cleveland's cold
G D
So the story ends we're told
C
Pancho needs your prayers it's true,
G C
But save a few for Lefty too
Em C D
He just did what he had to do
C Em
Now he's growing old
Chorus:
C
A few gray federales say
G C
They could have had him any day
Em C D
They only let him go so wrong
C Em
Out of kindness I suppose
(repeat)
C
A few gray federales say
G C
They could have had him any day
Em C D
They only let him go so wrong
C Em
Out of kindness I suppose
---------------
version 3
I play this with a D, C#, B bass run transition from the D chord to whatever
follows. I've indicated this with the following chord notation.
D x00232
D/C# x40232
D4/B(?) x20032
I also lead into the verse with
e+-----------2--|
b+--2--3--5-----|
g+--------------| then picking out of the D chord, etc.
d+-----------0--|
a+--0--2--4-----|
e+--------------|
Livin' on the road, my friend.....
which is nice for many songs played in D.
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 D/C# D4/B A
And you breath's as hard as kerosene
G
You weren't your mama's only boy
D D/C# D4/B
But her favorite one, it seems
D
She began to cry
D/C# D4/B A A7
When you said good bye
G Bm
And sank into you dreams
(same chords as first verse)
Pancho was a bandit, boys
Rode a horse fast as polished steel
Wore his guns outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel
Pancho met his match, ya know
On the deserts down in Mexico
No one heard his dyin' words
But that's the way it goes
Chorus (words change slightly, each time)
G
And all the federales say
D D/C# D4/B
They could of had him any day
D D/C# D4/B A A7
They only let him slip away
G Bm
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 old Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go
Well there ain't nobody 'knows
But all the federales say
They could of had him any day
They only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose
Now poets sing how Pancho fell
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
And all the federales say
They could of had him any day
They only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose
Yes a few old gray federales still say
They could of had him any day
They only let him go so wrong
Out of kindness, I suppose
---------------
version 4
C G7
Livin' on the road my friend is gonna keep you free and clean
F C G7
Now you wear your skin like iron, your breath's hard as kerosene
F C F
You weren't your momma's only boy, but her favorite one it seems
C Dm F Am
Began to cry when you said, "good-bye", sank into your 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.
Cho: (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.
Cho: (slip away)
Cho: (go so wrong)
---------------
version 5
I play this with a D, C#, B bass run transition from the D chord to whatever
follows. I've indicated this with the following chord notation.
D x00232
D/C# x40232
D4/B(?) x20032
I also lead into the verse with
e+-----------2--|
b+--2--3--5-----|
g+--------------| then picking out of the D chord, etc.
d+-----------0--|
a+--0--2--4-----|
e+--------------|
Livin' on the road, my friend.....
which is nice for many songs played in 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 D/C# D4/B A
And you breath's as hard as kerosene
G
You weren't your mama's only boy
D D/C# D4/B
But her favorite one, it seems
D
She began to cry
D/C# D4/B A A7
When you said good bye
G Bm
And sank into you dreams
(same chords as first verse)
Pancho was a bandit, boys
Rode a horse fast as polished steel
Wore his guns outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel
Pancho met his match, ya know
On the deserts down in Mexico
No one heard his dyin' words
But that's the way it goes
Chorus (words change slightly, each time)
G
And all the federales say
D D/C# D4/B
They could of had him any day
D D/C# D4/B A A7
They only let him slip away
G Bm
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 old Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go
Well there ain't nobody 'knows
But all the federales say
They could of had him any day
They only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose
Now poets sing how Pancho fell
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
And all the federales say
They could of had him any day
They only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose
Yes a few old gray federales still say
They could of had him any day
They only let him go so wrong
Out of kindness, I suppose
-------------