Pancho and Lefty chords

by Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard
  • Pancho and Lefty was written by country music artist - Townes Van Zandt. It was first recorded on his 1972 album, The Late Great Townes Van Zandt.
  • The Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard version of the song reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs from the album - Pancho & Lefty released on April 30, 1983.
  • Music: Key of D Major in 4/4 time at 122 bpm (♩)
  • Chords: D, G, A, Bm
Chord Chart Legend
D G A Bm Bm
D G A Bm Bm

Pancho and Lefty

Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key
Intro: 4/4
    D     A   G   A     G   A  D         D     G   D   G     D   A  D
||: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 &  3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 &  3 & 4 & :||

    D
 |     |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |  𝄎  |

 D
1. Li-ving on the road my friend
 A
   Was gon-na keep you free and clean
 G
   And now you wear your skin like i-ron
 D                            A
   And your breath as hard as ke-ro-sene
 G
   You weren't your ma-ma's only boy
           D                  G
   But her fa-vo-rite one, it seems
 Bm                  G                   A
   She be-gan to cry when you said good-|bye   |  𝄎  |
                        
 G                     Bm       Bm    G  A
   And sank in-to your dreams | 1& 2& 3  && 4& |

 D
2. Pan-cho was a ban-dit boy
 A
   His horse was fast as po-lished steel
 G
   He wore his gun outside his pants
 D                     A
   For all the ho-nest world to feel
 G
   Pan-cho met his match, you know
          D                G
   On the de-serts down in Me-xi-co
 Bm                   G      A
   No-bo-dy heard his dy-ing words |  𝄎  |                                     
  G                            Bm      Bm       A
   Ah, but that's the way it | goes  | 1& 2& 3& 4&| 

      G
Chorus: All the Fed-e-ra-les say
       D                        G
        They could have had him a-ny day
      Bm                   G      A
        They on-ly let him slip a-way   
               G                 Bm
        Out of kind-ness, I sup-|pose  |   𝄎   |  

 D  
3. Lef-ty, he can't sing the blues
   A
   All night long like he used to
 G
   The dust that Pan-cho bit down south
 D              A
   En-ded up in Lef-ty's mouth
 G
   The day they laid poor Pan-cho low
 D                  G
   Lef-ty split for O-hi-o
 Bm                 G        A
   Where he got the bread to go |  𝄎  |   
  G                      Bm       Bm       A
   There ain't no-body | knows  | 1& 2& 3& 4& | 

      G
Chorus: All the Fed-e-ra-les say
       D                        G
        They could have had him a-ny day
      Bm                 G      A
        We on-ly let him slip a-way
               G                 Bm     Bm        A     G     D
        Out of kind-ness, I sup-|pose | 1&  2& 3& 4& |     |     |  𝄎  |

             G        G     D     G      Bm
Instr:  |          |     |     |      |               | 
                                    
          G     A        A     G     Bm     Bm    G  A
        | 1& 2& 3& 4& |     |     |      |  1& 2& 3  && 4& |

 D  
4. The po-ets tell how Pan-cho fell
 A
   And Lef-ty's li-ving in cheap ho-tels
 G
   The de-sert's quiet, Cleve-land's cold
 D               A
   So the sto-ry ends, we're told
 G
   Pan-cho needs your prayers, it's true
 D                G
   Save a few for Lef-ty too
 Bm                     G      A
   He on-ly did what he had to do |  𝄎  |
  G                      Bm       Bm    G  A
   And now he's grow-ing old    | 1& 2& 3& 4& |

      G
Chorus: All the Fed-e-ra-les say
       D                        G
        They could have had him a-ny day
      Bm              G     A
        On-ly let him go so long
               G                 Bm    Bm       A
        Out of kind-ness, I sup-|pose |1& 2& 3& 4& |

      G
Chorus: A few great Fed-e-ra-les say
       D                        G
        They could have had him a-ny day
      Bm                   G     A
        They on-ly let him go so long
               G                 Bm          G     A        D
        Out of kind-ness, I sup-|pose |  𝄎  |1& 2& 3& 4& |     |


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