Clyde O' Reilly

Well, Clyde O'Reilly had so many virtues

He'd have lived much longer with none

I guess the only good thing that ever kept him alive

Were the visions of a man from a son

He worked the fields all day

Till his face turned grey

He never sold no more than ten bucks

But his hand held the gun of a young man's gun

And the old face just smiled and said

Shucks

You can take my cattle and my sheep man

But when you're talking about my son

Well, mister, there's no use in you talking

When you're looking down the nose of my gun

Well, the sheriff said: Reilly, you'd better hear me first

Did your son ever tell you no lie?

Well, if he didn't then you know about the bullet in the back

Of a man who didn't even know why

You can't hold back the arm of justice

And a bullet won't stop, won't stop the law

You can shoot down the men behind me

But I cabled twenty more

No man just lie, he said

You can take my cattle and my sheep man

But when you're talking about my son

Well, mister there's no use in you talking

When you're looking down the nose of my gun

You can take my cattle and my sheep man

But when you're talking about my son

Oh mercy you ain't no judge and jury

And on my land condemn no one

Well, the boy won the fight and shot ten men

Everybody wanted that boys head

From town to town from state to state

How a murder's reputation spread

'Cause you can't hold back the arm of justice

And a bullet won't stop, won't stop the law

You can shoot down the men behind me

But I cabled twenty more

You can take my cattle and sheep man

But when you're talking about my son

You ain't no judge and jury

You ain't hanging any more

That's what he said