He was barely a lad in his grandfather's coat
Sewn into the lining a ten shilling note
Goodbye to the family, farewell to the shore
Till I taste good fortune, you'll see me no more
Oh, the boat on the ocean, it bobbed like a cork
Then one fine morning they sighted New York
He stood on the gangplank and breathed in the air
Hello, Land of Plenty, I've come for my share
And he did like the ladies, the rise and the fall
Of their ankles and dresses down in the dance hall
Rolling the dice and spinning the wheel
But he took most delight in the slip jigs and reels
There was talk of a gun, but some say a knife
All are agreed there was somebody's wife
A dreadful commotion, a terrible fight
He left a man dead and ran into the night
On a train to St. Louis, just one step ahead
He slept one eye open, a six-gun in bed
He dreamed of the mountains and green fields of home
Crossing the plains where the buffalo roam
And he did like the ladies, the rise and the fall
Of their ankles and dresses down in the dance hall
Rolling the dice and spinning the wheel
But he took most delight in the slip jigs and reels
Oh, a bad reputation is a hard thing to bear
For mothers bore scorn and young people stare
But he took consolation in flash company
For life's not so bad with a girl on each knee
And they called him the Kid and by twenty-one
All that he knew was the power of the gun
And by twenty-three he had shot five men down
Who got in his way as he rambled around
And he did like the ladies, the rise and the fall
Of their ankles and dresses down in the dance hall
Rolling the dice and spinning the wheel
But he took most delight in the slip jigs and reels
Oh, there's bones on the desert and buzzards that fly
In the highest of circles, just wishing he'd die
But in matters of cruelty it must be said
A landlord will pick your bones before you're dead
It was wild Mescaleros, I heard people say
In the deadliest ambush near old Santa Fe
And a young buck was taken and inside his coat
Sewn into the lining a ten shilling note
And he did like the ladies, the rise and the fall
Of their ankles and dresses down in the dance hall
Rolling the dice and spinning the wheel
But he took most delight in the slip jigs and reels