VAN ZANDT TOWNES - "pancho and lefty" Tablature

Here's one of my favorite ballads which was written by the inimitable Townes Van
Zandt. Emmylou Harris recorded it, as did Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard in a
duet (don't ask me why). I first heard it in a coffeehouse at RPI (remember
coffeehouses, where people went to hear good music, not get drunk) by Robin and
Linda Williams, of later Prairie Home Companion fame.

I play this with a D, C#, B bass run transition from the D chord to whatever
follows. I've indicated this with the following chord notation.

D x00232
D/C# x40232
D4/B(?) x20032

I also lead into the verse with
e+-----------2--
b+--2--3--5-----
g+-------------- then picking out of the D chord, etc.
d+-----------0--
a+--0--2--4-----
e+--------------
Livin' on the road, my friend.....

which is nice for many songs played in D.

Enjoy,
Denny Straussfogel



Pancho and Lefty by Townes Van Zandt

D
Livin' on the road...
A
Was gonna keep us ...
G
But now you wear your ...
D D/C# D4/B A
And you breath's as ...
G
You weren't your ....
D D/C# D4/B
But her favorite ...
D
She began ...
D/C# D4/B A A7
When you said ...
G Bm
And sank into ...

(same chords as first verse)
Pancho was a bandit, ....

Chorus (words change slightly, each time)
G
And all the ...
D D/C# D4/B
They could of ...
D D/C# D4/B A A7
They only let him ...
G Bm
Out of kindness, ...

Now Lefty he can't sing ....

But all the federales ....

Now poets sing how .....

And all the federales ....

Yes a few old gray ....