Guitar chords Pancho And Lefty

The song Pancho and Lefty is a ballad written by Townes Van Zandt, one of his most famous works and widely covered by various artists. The song tells the fictional story of two friends, Pancho and Lefty. Pancho is a Mexican bandit who ends up being betrayed and killed, while Lefty, the friend who betrayed him, lives with guilt and remorse for the rest of his life. The story reflects themes of betrayal, loss, and the irreversible consequences of o ... See more [+]

Key:  D 
D
 
Livin' on the road, my friend
A
 
Was gonna keep you free and clean
G
 
And now you wear your skin like iron
D
                            
A
 
And your breath's as hard as kerosene
G
 
Weren't your mama's only boy
D
                        
G
 
But her favorite one, it seems
Bm
                        
G
    
D
   
A
 
She began to cry when you said goodbye
G
                    
Bm
       
A/C#
 *
(And) sank into your dreams

D
 
Pancho was a bandit, boys
A
 
His horse was fast as polished steel
G
 
He wore his gun outside his pants
D
                  
A
 
For all the honest world to feel
G
 
Well, Pancho met his match, you know
       
D
               
G
 
On the deserts down in Mexico
Bm
               
G
  
D
  
A
 
Nobody heard his dyin' words
G
                         
Bm
     
A
 *
Ah, but that's the way it goes

G
 
All the federales say
D
                           
G
 
They could have had him any day
Bm
                
G
  
D
  
A
 
They only let him slip away
       
G
              
Bm
     
A/C#
 *
Out of kindness, I suppose

D
 
Lefty he can't sing the blues
A
 
All night long like he used to
G
 
The dust that Pancho bit down South
D
              
A
 
Ended up in Lefty's mouth
G
 
The day they laid poor Pancho low
D
               
G
 
Lefty split for Ohio
Bm
               
G
    
D
   
A
 
Where he got the bread to go
G
                  
Bm
      
A
 *
There ain't nobody knows

G
 
All the federales say
D
                       
G
 
They could have had him any day
Bm
              
G
  
D
  
A
 
We only let him slip away
       
G
              
Bm
     
A
 *
Out of kindness, I suppose

D
 
The poets tell how Pancho fell
A
 
And Lefty's livin' in a cheap hotel
G
 
The desert's quiet, and Cleveland's cold
D
                
A
 
And so the story ends, we're told
G
 
Pancho needs your prayers, it's true
D
                  
G
 
But save a few for Lefty, too
Bm
                  
G
   
D
  
A
 
He only did what he had to do
G
                    
Bm
    
A
 *
And now he's growin' old

G
 
All the federales say
D
                       
G
 
They could have had him any day
Bm
                
G
  
D
  
A
 
They only let him go so long
       
G
              
Bm
     
A/C#
 *
Out of kindness, I suppose

G
 
A few gray federales say
D
                       
G
 
They could have had him any day
Bm
                
G
  
D
  
A
 
They only let him go so long
       
G
              
Bm
        
G7M
    
A
 
D
 
Out of kindness, I suppose