Aunt Jessie's Chicken Ranch
written by Billy Joe Shaver
Album: "The Real Deal"
1/8/06


INTRO: Em  A  D  G  D

       D                      Em           A                     D
On the old Rio Grande around midnight, the young boy had fallen asleep
    G                  D                                             A
The old yeller dog he found on the trail lay curled in a ball at his feet
                               D           G                       D
The cowpokes was all drunk and wasted in a town right close to the herd
       G               D                                                 A
When a hurricane wind come blowin' in, there weren't time to give 'em no word
                D                G                            D
St. Elmo's fire lit up the herd, turned 'em and turned 'em to one
          G                             D                                          A
When they plowed thru the town with the eeriest sound, not a single soul there was spared
                     Em     A  D  G
Not a soul there was spared

     D                          Em     A                    D
The young boy went whippin' and ridin' into the darkness of night
    G                          D                                                 A
The cookie's young steed was a hell of a ride and the saddle bags bulged on each side
                             D            G                        D
He rode northeast toward the sunrise that came when the wind died away
    G                        D                                              A
The saddle bags held all the cookie had come by, beef jerky, a gun, and his pay
                       Em   A  D  G
It was the kid's lucky day

D                    Em     A                         D
Evan McGuire was a gambler, cheater of cards was his trade
  G                       D                                           A
A horseless carriage that ran out of gas last night was a part of his wage
                                  D       G                  D
The trail was right lonesome that mornin, nary a soul was in sight
         G                     D                                            A
When the young boy rode up the gambler took aim, figurin' to take the kid's ride
                                 D                   G                     D
His bullet went strange like the life he had led, it just wasn't his lucky day
                     Em   A  D  G
With his life he did pay

    D                     Em        A                       D
The kid rifled thru his belongin's, never had killed him no man
    G                     D                                                    A
The cookie's pistol was weathered and worn but it brought down a hard one that day
              Em   A  D  G
The kid rode away

D                          Em         A                         D
Aunt Jessie's Chicken Farm waited, on those seekin' comfort and play
     G                      D                                                 A
The young boy was older and wiser by then, but somethin' just pulled him that way
                          D                       G                       D
He'd taken the money, the gun, and the watch, the gambler had need for no more
        G                          D                                                  A
Then he tipped back his hat and he crawled off his horse and headed for Aunt Jessie's door
                        Em    A  D  G
This would be his first w***e

D                   Em         A                          D
Women all gathered around him, marveled how young he must be
    G                   D                                              A
The kid picked him one, went for her room, when she gracefully led him away
                   Em   A  D  G
It was his turn to play

  D                         Em           A                            D
A month's worth of wages he spent there, that's where he figured he'd stay
    G                         D                                     A
The woman he'd picked was the best of the lot, older and wiser than he
                   D                   G                       D
Try as she may she still fell in love, started to lay back her pay
                      Em   A  D  G
They would marry some day

D                            Em              A                        D
One night while dustin' his clothes off, she noticed the watch by her bed
    G                  D                                             A
She knew the man who belonged to that watch, somehow she knew he was dead
                                D            G                     D
She was barely fifteen when she met him, and bore him a son on the trail
    G                    D                                                 A
The baby got left in the fork of a tree and he dragged her off sicker than hell
                    Em  A  D  G  D
She escaped him somehow

D                                 Em             A                        D
When she asked the kid 'bout his birthplace, she teared up and started to cry
    G                           D                                          A
She held him and hugged him and kissed him, and told him to leave her that night
                               D      G                      D
The kid pulled himself into manhood, saved him a measure of pride
G                        D                                          A
Mother and son bid each other goodbye, she waved as he rode out of sight
               Em  A  D  G  D
She raised the kid