Chuck Perrin

(Terry Talbot)

as I rode into tombstone, my horse his name was mac
I saw what I’ll relate to you, going on behind my back
it seems that folks were up in arms, a man now had to die
for believing things that didn’t fit the laws they’d set aside

the man’s name was “I’m a freak” – the best that I could see
he was the executioner, a hangman just like me
it seems that he’d seen loopholes, from working with his rope
he’d hung the wrong man many times, so now he turned to hope

he talked to all the people from his scaffold in the square
he told them of the things he’d found, but they didn’t seem to care
he said the laws were obsolete, a change they should demand
but the people only walked away, he couldn’t understand

the marshall’s name was uncle sam, he said he’d right this wrong
he’d make the hangman shut his mouth if it took him all year long
he finally arrested freak, and then he sent for me
to hang a fellow hangman from a fellow hangman’s tree

it didn’t take them long to try him in their court of law
he was guilty then of thinking, a crime much worse than all
they sentenced him to die so his seed of thought can’t spread
and infect the little children, that’s what the law had said

well the hanging day came round and he walked up to the noose
I pulled the lever but, before he fell, I cut him loose
they called it all conspiracy, and then I had to die
so to shut our mouths and kill our minds they hung us side by side

and now we’re two hangmen hanging from a tree
but that don’t bother me at all
we’re two hangmen hanging from a tree
that don’t bother me at all