Stagger Lee

A lot of people have told you about old Stagger Lee.
I think it's time you heard it from me.
He was mean and he was hard.
He met the Devil in a Voodoo graveyard.

Devil gave him a banjo, Devil gave him a hat.
He said, "Even I can't get you if you're wearing that."
He was bad, he'd do you wrong.
You know he shot his own wife for cooking eggs too long.

He had a woman so fine just lookin' made you holler.
Best gambler in town, they called her Stack O' Dollars.
They never lost a game in the underground mine
place run by that fool boy Billy de Lyon's.

'Till Stag started losin' one cold, stormy night.
He and Billy, Lord, they had a fight.
Billy shot a seven, Stack O' Dollars said she'd pass.
Stag said to him, "You done shot your last."

They each had 'em a .44. Stack stood lookin' at the door.
She said, "What would you do if that Devil walked in here?"
de Lyon's tried to act like he won't scared.
Then, Boom! Boom! Boom! With the .44
there was de Lyon's lyin' dyin' on the floor.

The Sherrif was there gamblin', the Deputy was too.
Billy said to them in the last breath he blew,
"Deputy, Sherriff, why it be
you arrest everybody but Stag Lee?"

They took their badges and laid them on a shelf.
They said, "If you want to get him, go get him yourself.
Go wait for him in Hell. He ain't gonna stay in jail.
Devil's posted Stagger Lee's ever-lasting bail.

Billy had a pretty widow, once he was in the ground,
it won't too long before old Stag came around.
He took off his black boots, took off his black tie,
wouldn't take off his black hat 'cause he won't about to die.
Till that de Lyon's woman took that hat right off his head.
She snuggled up with a Gatlin' gun and shot him dead.

He went down to the Devil and the Devil, he smiled.
He said, "Boy, you lost your hat. You're going to fry awhile.
"And stuck to you like a shadow, morning, noon and night
is gonna be de Lyon's cryin' took my life won't take my wife."