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Doolin-Dalton Lyrics
They were duelin', Doolin-Dalton
High or low, it was the same
Easy money and faithless women
Red-eye whiskey for the pain
Go down, Bill Dalton, it must be God's will,
Two brothers lyin' dead in Coffeyville
Two voices call to you from where they stood
Lay down your law books now
They're no damn good
Better keep on movin', Doolin-Dalton
'Til your shadow sets you free
If you're fast, and if you're lucky
You will never see that hangin' tree
Well, the towns lay out across the dusty plains
Like graveyards filled with tombstones, waitin' for the names
And a man could use his back, or use his brains
But some just went stir crazy, Lord, 'cause nothin' ever changed
'Til Bill Doolin met Bill Dalton
He was workin' cheap, just bidin' time
Then he laughed and said,"I'm goin,"
And so he left that peaceful life behind
Mm...
High or low, it was the same
Easy money and faithless women
Red-eye whiskey for the pain
Go down, Bill Dalton, it must be God's will,
Two brothers lyin' dead in Coffeyville
Two voices call to you from where they stood
Lay down your law books now
They're no damn good
Better keep on movin', Doolin-Dalton
'Til your shadow sets you free
If you're fast, and if you're lucky
You will never see that hangin' tree
Like graveyards filled with tombstones, waitin' for the names
And a man could use his back, or use his brains
But some just went stir crazy, Lord, 'cause nothin' ever changed
'Til Bill Doolin met Bill Dalton
He was workin' cheap, just bidin' time
Then he laughed and said,"I'm goin,"
And so he left that peaceful life behind
Mm...
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It's based on the Doolin-Dalton gang. Bill Doolin and Will Dalton were notorious outlaws. When Doolin hooked up with the Dalton brothers, they were a major threath. They did rob banks in Coffeyville, where as I recall a few of the Dalton brothers got killed in the process.
It's a great story (the entire Desperado album) if you dig deep into it and the best Eagles album (That's Eagles, not THE EAGLES you sillybuns)
http://www.gunslinger.com/doolin.html
@hairychester Thanks. So the album is a concept album then. That link, btw, is it still workin?
@hairychester Thanks. So the album is a concept album then. That link, btw, is it still workin?
Coffeyville being in Kansas that is.
Law books ain't no help in a lawless land, buckaroo... If they ever made a movie of Blood Meridian, this would be a perfect song for the credits.
i cant work out if doolin & dalton are friends or trying to kill each other? "go down bill dalton it must be gods will" does that mean he's been shot or what?
@Conor I believe the first line should read: They were dueling, ...
@Conor I believe the first line should read: They were dueling, ...
I agree with hairychester, it's an awesome album that tells a great story. I could see a really good movie being made out of the Desperado album.
hairy is right, of course. Famous outlaws of The Dalton Gang, the leader being Robert Dalton, they were only around for 2 years or so, and were killed in a local rebellion to foil a plan of theirs to rob a bank in Coffeyville. I've been listening to this song for a while, and I recently read about these outlaws and realised what this song was about, haha.