Big iron

Am ~ ~ Em - Am

C Am

1. To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day,

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hardly spoke to folks around him, didn't have too much to say.

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No one dared to ask his business, no one dared to make a slip,

Am

for the stranger there amongst them had a big iron on his hip,

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big iron on his hip.

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2. It was early in the morning when he rode into the town,

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he came riding from the south side, slowly lookin' all around.

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"He's an outlaw, loose and running", came the whisper from each lip,

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"and he's here to do some business with the big iron on his hip,

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big iron on his hip.

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3. In this town there lived an outlaw by the name of Texas Red,

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many men had tried to take him, and that many men were dead.

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He was vicious and a killer, though a youth of twenty four,

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and the notches on his pistol numbered one and nineteen more,

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one and nineteen more.

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4. Now the stranger started talking, made it plain to folks around,

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was an Arizona ranger, wouldn't be too long in town.

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He came here to take an outlaw bac,k alive or maybe dead,

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and he said it didn't matter, he was after Texas Red,

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after Texas Red.

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5. Wasn't long before the story was relayed to Texas Red,

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but the outlaw didn't worry, men that tried before were dead.

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Twenty men had tried to take him, twenty men had made a slip,

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twenty-one would be the ranger with the big iron on his hip,

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big iron on his hip.

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6. The morning passed so quickly, it was time for them to meet,

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it was twenty past eleven when they walked out in the street.

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Folks were watching from their windows, everybody held their breath,

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they knew this handsome ranger was about to meet his death,

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about to meet his death.

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7. There was forty feet between them,

a

when they stopped to make their play,

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and the swiftness of the ranger is still talked about to-day.

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Texas Red had not cleared leather 'fore a bullet fairly ripped,

a

and the rangers aim was deadly with the big iron on his hip,

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big iron on his hip.

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8. It was over in a moment, and the folks had gathered round,

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there before them lay the body of the outlaw on the ground.

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Oh, he might have gone on living, but he made one fatal slip,

a

when he tried to match the ranger with the big iron on his hip,

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big iron on his hip.

a C

Big iron, big iron,

a

when he tried to match the ranger with the big iron on his hip,

F C

big iron on his hip.

(orig. = capo 4th) (Marty Robbins)