The Ballad of Billy the Kid

From a town known as Wheeling, West Virginia

Rode a boy with a six-gun in his hand

And his daring life of crime

Made him a legend in his time

East and west of the Rio Grande

Well, he started with a bank in Colorado

In the pocket of his vest, a colt he hid

And his age and his size took the teller by surprise

And the word spread of Billy the Kid

Well, he never traveled heavy

Yes, he always rode alone

And he soon put many older guns to shame

And he never had a sweetheart

And he never had a home

But the cowboy and the rancher knew his name

Well, he robbed his way from Utah to Oklahoma

And the law just could not seem to track him down

And it served his legend well

For the folks, they'd love to tell 'bout

When Billy the Kid came to town

Well, one cold day, a posse captured Billy

And the judge said, "String him up for what he did"

And the cowboys and their kin

Like the sea came pouring in to watch

The hanging of Billy the Kid

Well, he never traveled heavy

Yes, he always rode alone

And he soon put many older guns to shame

And he never had a sweetheart

But he finally found a home

Underneath the Boot Hill grave that bears his name

From a town known as Oyster Bay, Long Island

Rode a boy with a six-pack in his hand

And his daring life of crime

Made him a legend in his time

East and west of the Rio Grande