Thursday 15 September 2011

The Ballad of Pacos Pete


It was a slow dog day
At the end of May
In the silver star saloon.
The place was as bleak 
As a dried up creek
And the lazy clock said noon.

The barkeep stood
As a barkeep should
Waiting to pour a drink,
But things were slow 
It was long ago
Since he heard a dollar clink.

There was a poker game
That was pretty lame
Just the usual bar room flies,
The Savana kid 
With Pecos Pete
And Sam with the shifty eyes. 

At the back of the room
Near the brass spittoon
A lazy hound dog lay.
He looked like dead
Till he moved his head
First thing he'd done all day. 

Bout as wide awake
As a booze soaked snake
He opened a weary eye.
The room was aghast 
That he moved that fast
And they kinda wondered why. 

Then they heard the sound
Of hoof on ground
A horse out on in the dust.
With a rush like that
When the beer was flat
You can bet that barkeep cussed.

Then those no good curs
Heard the clang of spurs
And their eyes was open wide.
When a bat wing door
Hit the bar room floor
And a stranger stepped inside.

He were six feet tall
In his boots an all,
As wide as a piebald mare. 
He had a scarred up face
And his guns in place
With a shock of coal black hair. 

He stood a while
Then gave a smile
In an aunry kind of way.
He said, "Pecos Pete
Get on yer feet
I'm the law an yer gonna pay"

"For the things you done
While on the run
With The Sundance Kid and crew.
I got papers here
And they make it clear
There's a bounty out on you" 

Well Pecos drew
And the bullet flew,
The worst darn shot in town.
Took a ricochet
Off the barkeeps tray
And the stranger’s pants fell down.

Well you can't look tough
When you're in the buff,
So the stranger turned and ran.
Guess he won't get far
In the desert thar
But he'll sure get a real good tan. 
.
Copyright© Alan Gilbert 2011

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