Beggin¡¯ your pardon there stranger
|
You look like you¡¯re new to this town
|
We¡¯re a long way away from the beach here
|
You won¡¯t see many gringos around
|
Well I come from West Colorado
|
And I¡¯ve wandered this world far and wide
|
I¡¯ve lived for some years in the shadows
|
And my eyes are unused to this light
|
If you buy me a strong drink of whiskey
|
I will tell you the tale of my life
|
It¡¯s long and it¡¯s sad but it fits me
|
And it may bring a tear to your eye
|
|
All the men of my family were solidiers
|
The hard fightin¡¯ straight talkin¡¯ kind
|
When my turn came all that was over
|
But I¡¯d already made up my mind
|
I was there when we blew though Grenada
|
And I still have to ask myself why
|
Then we took down that fool Noriega
|
That¡¯s where I caught the good colonel¡¯s eye
|
Well he asked me if I loved my country
|
And before I had time to reply
|
He regaled me with tales of past glories
|
I believed every one of his lies
|
|
So I left my old life behind me
|
Turned my back on my family and friends
|
And I did everything that they asked me
|
And I lost some sleep now and again
|
And I lived like a thief and assassin
|
I smuggled their poisons sometimes
|
Until I asked the wrong question in passin¡¯
|
|
And the colonel himself dropped the dime
|
So if you¡¯re ever in west Colorado
|
Tell the folks in Durango goodbye
|
There¡¯s a price on my head and I can¡¯t go
|
So I¡¯ll just wait around here ¡®til I die
|
|
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|
The Gringo's Tale
|
| Steve Earle |
