
Western Song: Pancho and Lefty
Pancho and Lefty is a song written by Townes Van Zandt, a country music artist. He first recorded the song for this 1972 album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt and is considered his most enduring and well-known song. It ranked number 17 in the Top 100 Western Songs of all time chosen by the members of The Western Writers of America.
Pancho and Lefty is a story song about a Mexican bandit named Pancho and his friendship with Lefty, the man who betrayed him. Many of the details in the lyrics reflect the life of Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa, who was killed by unknown assassins in 1923. In an interview, Van Zandt recalled and realized that he wrote the song, but it’s hard to take credit for the writing because it came out of the blue. It came through him and it’s a real nice song, and he thinks, he finally found out what it’s about. He always wondered what it’s about and knew it wasn’t about Pancho Villa, and then somebody told him that Pancho Villa had a buddy whose name in Spanish meant ‘Lefty.’ But in his song, Pancho gets hung and Van Zandt presumes they only let him hang around out of kindness, while the real Pancho Villa was assassinated.
Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard popularized the song with their duet in 1983. A music video for the song directed by Willie’s daughter Lana was released. Will Nelson portrayed the role of Pancho in the music video and Merle Haggard as Lefty. Van Zandt appeared as well in a supporting role.
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Popular Recordings
Since the song’s composition and performance by Van Zandt, several artists have covered the song. Some of the most famous and notable versions are recorded by:
- Townes Van Zandt
- Emmylou Harris
- Hoyt Axton
- Friedlander & Hall
- Merle Haggard/Willie Nelson
- Rob Dixon and The Lost Cowboy Band
- Sally Barker
- Richard Dobson
- The Bubbadinos
- Dick Gaughan
- Jed Clampit
- Delbert McClinton
- Old & In the Gray
- David Gans
- Hammerlock
Pancho and Lefty Chart Performance
The song has been included in the top hits of the following charts:
- US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)
- US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)
- Canadian RPM Country Tracks
Listen (Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson Version)
Pancho and Lefty Lyrics
Livin' on the road, my friend Was gonna keep you free and clean And now you wear your skin like iron And your breath is hard as kerosene Weren't you mamma's only boy? Her favorite one it seems She began to cry when you said goodbye Sank to your dreams Pancho was a bandit, boys His horse was fast as polished steel He wore his gun outside his pants For all the honest world to feel Pancho met his match, you know On the deserts down in Mexico Nobody heard his dyin' words Oh, but that's the way it goes All the Federales say They could have had him any day They only let him slip away Out of kindness, I suppose Lefty, he can't sing the blues All night long like he used to The dust that Pancho bit down South Ended up in Lefty's mouth The day they lay poor Pancho low Lefty split for Ohio Where he got the bread to go There ain't nobody knows All the Federales say We could have had him any day We only let him slip away Out of kindness, I suppose The poets tell how Pancho fell And Lefty's livin' in cheap hotels The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold And so the story ends, we're told Pancho needs your prayers, it's true Save a few for Lefty, too He only did what he had to do And now he's growin' old All the Federales say We could have had him any day They only let him go so long Out of kindness, I suppose A few gray Federales say Could have had him any day We only let him go so long Out of kindness, I suppose