The Last Gunfighter Ballad

Lyrics

[Verse 1] Now the old gunfighter on the porch stared into the sun Relived the days of living by the gun When deadly games of pride were played Living was mistakes not made [Chorus] And the thought of the smell of the black powder smoke And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke Ah, the smell of the black powder smoke And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke [Verse 2] And he can almost feel the weight of the gun And it's always keep your back to the sun And it's faster than snakes or a blink of the eye And it's a time for all slow men to die And his eyes get squinty and his fingers twitch And he empties his gun at the son of a bitch [Chorus] And he's hip to the smell of the black powder smoke And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke Hip to the smell of the black powder smoke And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke [Verse 3] The burn of a bullet is only a scar And he's back in his chair in front of the bar And the streets are empty and the blood's all dried And the dead are dust and the whiskey's inside So buy him a drink and lend him an ear He's nobody's fool and the only one here [Chorus] Remembers the smell of the black powder smoke And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke Remember the smell of the black powder smoke And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke [Verse 4] He said I stood in that street before it was paved Learned "shoot or be shot" before I could shave I did it all for the money and fame Noble was nothing but feeling no shame And nothing was sacred save staying alive And all that I learned from a Colt 45 [Chorus] Was to curse the smell of the black powder smoke And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke Curse the smell of the black powder smoke And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke [Verse 5] Now he's just an old man that no one believes Says he's a gunfighter, the last of the breed And there are ghosts in the street seeking revenge Calling him out to the lunatic fringe Now he's out in the traffic checking the sun And he's killed by a car as he goes for his gun [Chorus] So much for the smell of the black powder smoke And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke So much for the smell of the black powder smoke And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke