The Wedding Gown

I traded my horse at Amarillo
For a philly that looked like she could run
If he finds me before I make the Rio
I swear to God he’ll find me with my gun
And I’ve never seen him
But I’m sure he’s our there
And I must have known him
And I must have wronged him
I vowed to ride, and spurred the flesh from my horse’s side
And I kicked her and I gored her and I pressed her for the border
For a place where I could hide
And Lord, I pray, at least let me make it to Monterey
And if my prayer You will hear, I swear I’ll disappear
And I’ll throw my guns away
I fell asleep sitting in the saddle
And I dreamed of the ghostly rider on my trail
But when I wake, I start to shake and rattle
And I know the philly’s legs are about to fail
And so I cross the river
And I turn to face him
And I’ll make my stand here
And I will die here
I took a sip, for I felt my courage start to slip
And I’ll shoot any gringo who tries to cross the Rio
Wearing iron on his hip
And up the trail… He’s a good rider, I can tell
But I swear I’ll shoot the stranger, I don’t care if he’s a Ranger
Or a demon sent from Hell
As the rider approached the edge of the river
I could tell that he was wrapped up in a shroud
But then her voice skipped across the water
And the prideful spirit within me bowed
And you should have seen her
As pretty as I left her
And the air smelled bloody
It was the smell of vengeance
And she did frown, and she challenged me to draw down
She said that I owed her for the blood that had flowed
Upon her wedding gown
And I felt fear, for I had killed my brother dear
And she had found him on dead the day they were to wed
In a pool of blood and tears