Dave Stamey - Mr. Shorty Lyrics
They only knew he came inSlowly he walked to the end of the barAnd he ordered up one slug of ginI could see that he wasn't a large manI could tell that he wasn't too tallI judged him to be about five-foot threeAnd his voice was a soft Texas drawlSaid he was needin' some wagesBefore he could ride for the westSaid he could do most all kind of workSaid he could ride with the bestThere in his blue eyes was sadnessThat comes from the need of a friendAnd tho' he tried, he still couldn't hideThe loneliness there, deep withinSaid he would work thru the winterFor thirty a month and his boardI started to say where he might land a jobWhen a fellow came in thru the doorAnd I could see he was lookin' for troubleBy the way that he came stompin' inHe told me to leave Shorty there by his selfCome down and wait on a manThe eyes of the little man narrowedThe smile disappeared from his faceGone was the friendliness that I had seenAnd a wild look of hate took its' placeBut the big one continued to mock himHe told me that I'd better goFind him a couple of glasses of milkThen maybe Shorty would growWhen the little man spoke, there was stillnessHe made sure that everyone heardSlowly he stepped away from the barAnd I still remember these wordsIt's plain that you're lookin' for troubleTrouble's what I try to shunIf that's what you want, then that's what you'll get'Cause cowboy, we're both packin' guns.His hand was already positionedHis feet wide apart on the floorI hadn't noticed but there on his hipWas a short-barreled Bad Forty-FourIt was plain he was ready and waitin'He leaned a bit forward and saidWhen you call me Shorty, say Mister, my friendMaybe you'd rather be deadIn the room was a terrible silenceAs the big one stepped out on the floorAll drinkin' stopped and the tick of the clockSaid death would wait ten seconds moreHe cussed once or twice in a whisperAnd he said with a snarl on his lipsNobody's Mister to me, little man!And he grabbed for the gun on his hipBut the little man's hands was like lightningThe Bad Forty-Four was the sameThe Forty-Four spoke and it sent lead and smokeAnd seventeen inches of flameFor the big one had never cleared leatherBeaten before he could startA little round hole had appeared on his shirtThe bullet went clear thru his heartThe little man stood there a momentThen holstered the Bad Forty-FourIt's always this way so I never staySlowly he walked out the doorNobody knew where he came fromThey won't forget he came byThey won't forget how a Forty-Four gunOne night made the difference in sizeAs for me, I'll remember the sadnessShown in the eyes of the manIf we meet someday, you can bet I would sayThat it's me, Mr. Shorty, your friend
