Ballad of Jim Bowie

Old John Maddox Samuels Met for a duel As the story tells Each man missed the other And the duel was done But someone had to die In the hot summer sun More shots were fired, and the duel did end Jim Bowie came up forward to meet his friend And up came the friends of old dark Tom Every man seeking to do some harm Down every holler, down every stream Way down a riverboat to New Orleans All the way from Natchez up to St. Louis You can still hear the tale Of old Jim Bowie General Cooney Said to Colonel Crane Who was sore afraid To see him again "Perhaps it's time To settle our score" Crane drew his pistol And he fired once more Shot missed Cooney but struck old Jim While the Colonel reloaded, Cooney fired at him Hit him in the arm, but Crane didn't rest Killed General Cooney with a bullet to the chest Down every holler, down every stream Way down a riverboat to New Orleans All the way from Natchez up to St. Louis You can still hear the tale Of old Jim Bowie Jim Bowie rose up Came afer Crane Who dealt him a blow With a pistol to the brain Then came the Major Norris Wright Drew his pistol And he joined the fight Major tried to shoot Jim Bowie but missed Drew out a sword and stabbed him in the chest Bowie pulled him down upon his knife Major Norris Wright did lose his life Down every holler, down every stream Way down a riverboat to New Orleans All the way from Natchez up to St. Louis You can still hear the tale Of old Jim Bowie He took the blade And gripped it by the hand He was shot once again Before he could stand Got to his feet Pulled out the sword He was fired upon By the brothers Blanchard They shot Jim Bowie, and his blood did flow But he spun with his knife and returned the blow The Blanchard brothers did turn and run And the Natchez sandbar fight was done Crane then carried Jim Bowie away The wounded man was heard to say "Colonel, you never should have shot at me" And how he lived is a mystery Down every holler, down every stream Way down a riverboat to New Orleans All the way from Natchez up to St. Louis You can still hear the tale Of old Jim Bowie You can still hear the tale Of old Jim Bowie You can still hear the tale Of old Jim Bowie That's all, folks