Slip Jig and Reel
(Steve Tilson)
He was barely a man, in his grandfather's coat
And sewn in the lining was a ten shilling note
Goodbye to the family, goodbye to the shore
Until I taste a fortune, I will see you no more
Then a boat on the ocean tossed about like a cork
Until one fine morning they sighted New York
And he stood on the gangplank and he breathed in the air
Hello Land of Plenty - I have come for my share
Cho: And he did like the ladies and rise and the fall
Of their ankles and their dresses down in the dancehall
And a-rolling the dice, and a-spinning the wheel
But he took most delight in the slip jigs and reels
Now there's talk of a pistol and maybe a knife
But all are agreed there was somebody's wife
Some kind of commotion, a terrible fight
And he left one man dead and ran into the night
Next a train to St. Louis, just one jump ahead
He slept one eye open, with a gun 'neath his head
But he dreamed of the green fields and the mountains of home
While crossing the plains where the buffaloes roam
So they called him the Kid and by twenty one
All he had learned was the power of the gun
And by twenty three he had shot five men down
Who had got in his way as he rambled around
But a bad reputation is a hard thing to bear
For mothers pour scorn and young children do stare
But he found consolation in flash company
And life ain't so bad with a girl on your knee
There are bones on the desert there are buzzards that fly
In high lazy circles just hoping you'll die
But in matters of cruelty it must be said
That a landlord will skin your bones long ere you're dead
It was wild Mesqualeros I have heard people say
In the deadliest ambush near old Santa Fe
A young buck was taken, togged up in a coat
And sewn in the lining was a ten shilling note
Written by Steve Tilson, based on an old photograph.
Recorded by Barry Gleeson.
MR
apr97
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!