As I walked out on the streets of Laredo.
As I walked out in Laredo, one day,
I spied a young cowboy all wrapped in white linen,
All wrapped in white linen, as cold as the clay.
"I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy."
These words he did say as I boldly walked by.
"Come, sit down beside me an' hear my sad story.
"I'm shot in the breast, an' I know I must die."
"'twas once, in the saddle, I used to go dashing.
"Once, in the saddle, I used to be gay.
"First to the card-house and then down to Rosie's.
"Got shot in the breast and I'm dying today."
"Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin.
"Get six dance-hall maidens to bear up my pall.
"Throw bunches of roses all over my coffin.
"Roses to deaden the clods as they fall."
"Then beat the drum slowly and play the fife lowly.
"Play the dead-march as you carry me along.
"Take me to the green valley an' lay the sod o'er me,
"I'm a young cowboy, and I know I've done wrong."
"Then go write a letter to my grey-haired mother,
"An' tell her the boy whom she loved has now gone.
"But please not one word of the man who has killed me.
"Don't mention his name, and his name will pass on."
When thus he had spoken, the hot sun was setting.
The streets of Laredo grew cold as the clay.
We took the young cowboy down to the green valley,
And there stands his marker, we made on that day.
We beat the drum slowly and played the fife lowly,
Played the dead-march as we carried him along.
Down in the green valley, we laid the sod o'er him.
He was a young cowboy, and he said he'd done wrong.
As I walked out in Laredo, one day,
I spied a young cowboy all wrapped in white linen,
All wrapped in white linen, as cold as the clay.
"I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy."
These words he did say as I boldly walked by.
"Come, sit down beside me an' hear my sad story.
"I'm shot in the breast, an' I know I must die."
"'twas once, in the saddle, I used to go dashing.
"Once, in the saddle, I used to be gay.
"First to the card-house and then down to Rosie's.
"Got shot in the breast and I'm dying today."
"Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin.
"Get six dance-hall maidens to bear up my pall.
"Throw bunches of roses all over my coffin.
"Roses to deaden the clods as they fall."
"Then beat the drum slowly and play the fife lowly.
"Play the dead-march as you carry me along.
"Take me to the green valley an' lay the sod o'er me,
"I'm a young cowboy, and I know I've done wrong."
"Then go write a letter to my grey-haired mother,
"An' tell her the boy whom she loved has now gone.
"But please not one word of the man who has killed me.
"Don't mention his name, and his name will pass on."
When thus he had spoken, the hot sun was setting.
The streets of Laredo grew cold as the clay.
We took the young cowboy down to the green valley,
And there stands his marker, we made on that day.
We beat the drum slowly and played the fife lowly,
Played the dead-march as we carried him along.
Down in the green valley, we laid the sod o'er him.
He was a young cowboy, and he said he'd done wrong.