The Passenger

It was dark and I was driving down a lonely Texas road

the night was hot and sleep pulled at my eyes

I was thinking bout the wild times and the women that I'd had

The deceitful things I'd done and those lies

When standin' in the shadows at the side of the road

Stood the figure of a withered old man

He wore a black bandana a ropin' stetson hat

With a two inch scarlet hat band

He held his wrinkled hand up as a sign to shut 'er down

So I pulled over and stopped at his side

He opened up the door slid in and sat down

and said my ain't it hot tonight

I studied this old man and it seemed mighty strange

for him to be out here all alone

and then he started talking and he told me many things

of times that both of us had known

He told me of the wild life and the women that he'd known

How none of them had ever meant a thing

He told me of a black night much the same as this

of the strange and awesome things he'd seen

A man beside the road had raised his hand

and flagged him down So he stopped and let him in

That stranger told him stories that I am hearing now

Bout the wild times and all the sin

And the car got cold and clamy and this old man looked at me

He said boy I've come here for you

Your days of wicked sinnin' have come to an end

As a mortal on this earth you are through

Then his eyes got red and firey as he took his stetson off

To reveal his evil horns shiney and black

My god the fear came o'er and my senses were all lost

I fought with him until we finally crashed

Next day they found the car at the bottom of the draw

The young cowboy was found beside the wreck

The car had been consumed by fire

but the cowboy had no marks

Except the smokin' pitchfork brand upon his neck