the ballad of stanley

stanley was a drifter back in '53

never had a bed where he could sleep

ate his meals from the garbage can

just walked around without a real plan

found his way to the texas line

traveled into our town at a quarter till nine

had a few drinks at a roadside bar

and that's where our story really starts

well it was there in the barlight in a corner booth

where stan first met the man that called himself ruth

ruth planned to rob a bank

and all stan had to do

was drive the getaway car

what did he have to lose

it sounded good to stan cause he never had

no kind of money or sight that was bad

they take the money

skip town

and run

and live like two kings in the mexican sun

tumbleweed blowin in the wind

carried him somewhere he never should have been

was it fate or just circumstance

makes you wonder if he ever had a chance

well across from the first state bank the next day at four

from the drivers seat

stan watched him walk through the door

whipped out his pistols and waved them all around

pointed all the scared people down onto the ground

he took the moneybags and maybe just for fun

he shot two men dead and one of their sons

back outside he ordered stan to drive

they hit the county line five minutes till five

tumbleweed blowin in the wind

carried him somewhere he never should have been

was it fate or just circumstance

makes you wonder if he ever had a chance

feds caught up with them outside laredo

in an ambush of bullets and a cloud of gunsmoke

killed an innocent man on that day

now that poor drifter has a bed where he can lay

tumbleweed blowin in the wind

carried him somewhere he never should have been

was it fate or just circumstance

makes you wonder if he ever had a chance

i wonder if he ever had a chance

i doubt stan ever had a chance