Steve Earle - The Last Gunfighter Ballad lyrics

The old gunfighter on the porch
Stared into the sun
And relived the days of living by the gun
When deadly games of pride were played
And living was mistakes not made
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

And it's always keep your back to the sun
You can almost feel the weight of the gun
And it's faster than snakes or
The blink of an eye
And it's a time for all slow men to die
And his eyes get squinty
And his fingers twitch
As he empties his gun at the son of a bitch
And he's hit by the smell
Of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at
The turn of a joke
Hit by the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at
The turn of a joke
Now the burn of a bullet is only a scar
And he's back at 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, lend him an ear
'Cause he's nobody's fool and
The only one here who 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

He said "I stood in that
Street before it was paved
I learned to shoot or be
Shot before I could shave
And I did it all for the money and fame
Noble was nothing but feeling no shame
And nothing was sacred but staying alive
And all that I learned from a Colt 45
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"

He's just an old man, now
That no one believes
That says he's a gunfighter
The last of the breed
And there are ghosts in the
Street and they're seeking revenge
Calling him out to the lunatic fringe
Now he's out in the traffic
And checking the sun
And he's killed by a car as
He goes for his gun 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