Guy Clark - The Last Gunfighter Ballad Lyrics
The old gunfighter on the porchstared into the sunand relived the days of living by the gunwhen deadly games of pride were playedand living was mistakes not madeand the thought of the smell of the black powder smokeand the stand in the street at the turn of a jokeAh, the smell of the black powder smokeand the stand in the street at the turn of a jokeIt's always keep your back to the sunand he can almost feel the weight of the gunit's faster than snakes or the blink of an eyeand it's a time for all slow men to dieand his eyes get squinty and his fingers twitchand he empties the gun at the son of a *****and he's hit by the smell of the black powder smokeand the stand in the street at the turn of a jokehit by the smell of the black powder smokeand the stand in the street at the turn of a jokeNow the burn of a bullet is only a scarhe's back in his chair in front of the barand the streets are empty and the blood's all driedand the dead are dust and the whiskey's insideso buy him a drink and lend him an earhe's nobody's fool and the only one herewho remembers the smell of the black powder smokeand the stand in the street at the turn of a jokeremember the smell of the black powder smokeand the stand in the street at the turn of a jokeHe said I stood in that street before it was pavedlearned shoot or be shot before I could shaveand I did it all for the money and famenoble was nothing but feeling no shameand nothing was sacred but stayin' aliveand all that I learned from a Colt 45was to curse the smell of the black powder smokeand the stand in the street at the turn of a jokecurse the smell of the black powder smokeand the stand in the street at the turn of a jokeNow he's just an old man that no one believessays he's a gunfighter, the last of the breedand there are ghosts in the street seeking revengecalling him out to the lunatic fringenow he's out in the traffic checking the sunand he's killed by a car as he goes for his gunSo much for the smell of the black powder smokeand the stand in the street at the turn of a jokeso much for the smell of the black powder smokeand the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
