Roanie Tom Russell
By Tom Russell
6/18/2011
[C]Mail Pouch Tobacco signs are [Em]crumblin' in waltz time
On the [Dm]sides of forgotten old [G]barns
And the [Dm]rockin' chair's a-[G]rollin' on the [Dm]porch down at [G]Dolan's
Where [G]Roanie tells those wild western [C]yarns
About a [C]big roan caballo that [Em]ruled the arroyos
Then he's [F]hummin' 'The Strawberry [Fm]Roan'
And the [C]boys start to sighin' 'cause old [G]Roanie he's cryin'
He's [G]forgotten the words to the [C]song
Chorus:
[F]Roanie, you're nothin' but a [Em]drugstore vaquero
You've been [F]tellin' your [G]lies too damn [C]long
[F]A-hummin' the tune to 'The [Em]Strawberry Roan'
[D7]Forgettin' the words to the [G]song
Hey,[Dm] Roanie, your [G]old wild west is [C]gone
Now the Great Western Feed Lot's turned into a truck stop
Where old Roanie drinks coffee all night
And he tells all the drivers he's an outlaw survivor
And he beat Jesse James in a fight
And the waitresses smile, Lord, they're lost for a while
Makin' love in some gunfighters bed
And the wild west keeps dyin' and old Roanie keeps on lyin'
About the home on the range in his head
Bridge:
[F]He'd cough and he'd wink, he'd say, Lor[Em]d I need a drink
And I [F]gotta get these [G]dogies movin' [C]on
[F]I'm pony ridin' mail down the [Em]wild Chisolm Trail
[D7]Gotta make Laredo by [G]dawn
Hey, does [Dm]anyone remember the words to that old [G]song
As [C]I rode out in the [Am]streets of La[G]redo
[C]As I rode [F]out in La[Am]redo one [G]day
Well, the Mail Pouch Tobacco signs are crumblin' in waltz time
On the sides of forgotten old barns
And the rockin' chair's been stolen off the porch down at Dolan's
Where old Roanie told those wild western yarns
And that big roan caballo has left the arroyos
He's swayback and plumb broken down
And old Roanie, he's buried in the new cemetery
Yeah, there ain't no more Boot Hills around
Chorus 2:
Roanie was nothin' but a drugstore vaquero
Who'd been tellin' his lies too damn long
A-hummin' the tune to 'The Strawberry Roan'
Forgettin' the words to the song
And now Roanie and the West are both gone
So it's [C]beat the drum [G]slowly and [C]play the fife [G]lowly
He had a [Am]pain in his [F]chest and he's [Am]bound to move [G]on
Singin', [C]Oh that [G]strawberry [C]roan
[F]mmm[C]mm,[F] Mm[C]mmmmmm
[F]Turn on a nickel and[C] give you some change
Who could [G]ride that strawberry [C]roan
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