Well, Clyde O’Riley had so many virtues,
He’d have lived much longer with none,
I guess the only good thing that ever kept him alive,
Were the visions of a man from a son,
He worked the fields all day,
Till his face turned grey,
He never sold no more than ten bucks,
But his hand held the gun of a young man’s gun,
And the old face just smiled and said “Shucks”,
You can take my cattle and my sheep man,
But when you’re talking about my son,
Well, mister there’s no use in you talking,
When you’re looking down the nose of my gun.
Well, the sheriff said “Riley, you’d better hear me first,
Did your son ever tell you no lie?
Well, if he didn’t then you know about the bullet in the back,
Of a man who didn’t even know why.
You can’t hold back the arm of justice,
And a bullet won’t stop, won’t stop the law.
You can shoot down the men behind me,
But I cabled twenty more”.
No man just lie, he said
You can take my cattle and my sheep man,
But when you’re talking about my son,
Well, mister there’s no use in you talking,
When you’re looking down the nose of my gun.
You can take my cattle and my sheep man,
But when you’re talking about my son,
Oh mercy you ain’t no judge and jury,
And on my land condemn no one.
Well, the boy won the fight and shot ten men,
Everybody wanted that boys head,
From town to town from state to state,
How a murders reputation spread.
‘Cause you can’t hold back the arm of justice,
And a bullet won’t stop, won’t stop the law,
You can shoot down the men behind me,
But I cabled twenty more.
You can take my cattle and sheep man,
But when you’re talking about my son,
You ain’t no judge and jury,
You ain’t hanging any more.
That’s what he said.
