big iron - marty robbins
to the town of agua fria
rode a stranger one fine day
hardly spoke to folks around him,
didn't have too much to say,
no one dared to ask his business,
no one dared to make a slip
the stranger there among them
had a big iron on his hip,
big iron on his hip
it was early in the morning
when he rode into the town
he came riding from the south side,
slowly lookin' all around
"he's an outlaw loose and runnin'",
came a whisper from each lip
"and he's here to do some business
with a big iron on his hip,
big iron on his hip"
in this town there lived an outlaw
by the name of texas red
many men had tried to take him
and that many men were dead
he was vicious and a killer,
though a youth of twenty four
and the notches on his pistol numbered
one and nineteen more,
one and nineteen more
now the stranger started talkin'
made it plain to folks around
was an arizonia ranger,
wouldn't be too long in town
he was here to take an outlaw
back alive or maybe dead
and he said it didn't matter
that he was after texas red,
after texas red
wasn't long before this story
was relayed to texas red
but the outlaw didn't worry,
men who tried before were dead
twenty men had tried to take him,
twenty men had made a slip,
twenty one would be the ranger
with the big iron on his hip,
big iron on his hip
now the morning past so quickly
and it was time for them to meet
it was twenty past eleven
when they rode out in the street
folks were watchin' from their windows,
every body held their breath,
they knew this handsome ranger
was about to meet his death,
about to meet his death
there was twenty feet between them
when they stopped to make their play
and the swiftness of the ranger
still talked about today
texas red had not cleared leather
when a bullet fairly ripped
and the ranger's aim was deadly,
with the big iron on his hip,
big iron on his hip
it was over in a moment
and the crowd all gathered 'round
there before them lay
the body of the outlaw on the ground
oh, he might have went on livin'
but he made one fatal slip
when he tried to match the
ranger with the big iron on his hip,
big iron on his hip
big iron, big iron,
oh he tried to match the ranger
with the big iron on his hip,
big iron on his hip