(Paul Siebel)
EmmyLou Harris & Waylon Jennings

Those other years, the dusty years we drove the big herse through
I tried to forget the miles we rode and Spanish Johnny too
He'd sit beside a water ditch when all this herd was in
And he'd never harm a child but sing to his mandolin.

The old talk, the old ways, and the dealin' of our game
But Spanish Johnny never spoke, but sing a song of Spain
And his talk with men was vicious talk when he was drunk on gin
Ah, but those were golden things he said to his mandolin.

--- Instrumental ---

We had to stand, we tried to judge, we had to stop him then
For the hand so gentle to a child had killed so many men
He died a hard death long ago before the road come in
And the night before he swung he sung to his mandolin.

Well, we carried him out in the mornin' sun, a man that done no good
And we lowered him down in the cold clay, stuck in a cross of wood
And a letter we wrote to his kinfolk to tell them where he'd been
And we shipped it out to Mexico, along with his mandolin...

--- Instrumental to fade ---