Bad Man's Blunder

Well, early one evening,
I was rolling around,
I was feeling kind of mean,
I shot a deputy down,
Strolling on home and I went to bed,
Well, I laid my pistol up,
Under my head.
He strolled along home,
I took my time,
And he went to bed,
Thought I'd sleep some,
Laid his pistol,
Big twenty-two,
Up under his head,
I keep it handy.
Well, early in the morning,
'Bout the break of day,
I figured it was time,
To make a getaway,
Stepping right along,
But I was stepping too slow,
Got surrounded by a sheriff,
Down in Mexico.
He was stepping right along,
I were a’ high footing it,
But he was stepping too slow,
It was a sultry day,
Got surrounded by a sheriff,
Boxed in,
In Mexico,
I didn't even have a chance,
To see the country.
When I was arrested,
I didn't have a dime,
The sheriff says, son,
You're riding free this time,
Where you're going,
You won't need a cent,
Cause the great state of Texas,
Gonna pay your rent.
Cause where you're going,
I think he means jail,
You won't need a cent,
Well, he knows I'm broke,
Cause the great state of Texas,
Yippee,
Gonna pay your rent,
I'm mighty grateful, fellas.
Well, I didn't have a key,
And I didn't have a file,
Naturally I stayed around until my trial,
The judge was an old man,
Ninety-three,
And I didn't like the way,
The jury looked at me.
Well, the judge was an old man,
Too old,
Ninety-three,
Entirely too old,
I didn't like the way,
The jury looked at me,
I think they were suspicious.
The judge and the jury, they did agree,
They all said murder in the first degree,
They judge said, same,
I don't know,
Whether to hang you or not,
But this here killing of deputy sheriffs,
Has just naturally got to stop,
You've got a point there, judge.
It was a most unsatisfactory trial,
They gave me ninety-nine years,
On the hard rock pile,
Ninety and nine,
On the hard rock ground,
All I ever did was shoot a deputy down.
Ninety and nine,
It could have been life,
On the hard rock pile,
They might’ve hung me,
And all he ever did,
Was shoot a deputy down,
This whole thing,
Has sure been a lesson to me,
Bang, you're dead.