Boot leather on a barroom floor, fightin' over a dance hall girl He pulled a knife, I pulled a gun, and I sent him home to glory The sheriff said son, better go with me Give me your gun and come peacefully I can drop you right here, or you can tell the court your story Chorus: Hang me high, hang me low They're gonna hang me in the morning Stay away from Jericho, all you rounders, I give you fair warning Entered my plea, called it self defense, a sober judge sittin' on the bench And i stared into 24 eyes of a hard-nosed Jericho jury They called it murder in the first degree, The judge said, son, stand and look at me Hang him - and may the lord have mercy Chorus Thirteen steps to the scaffold high, the whole town's out just to watch me die And not one to shed a tear of mourning Please would you honor my last request, when they lay me down to rest Let the epitaph on my tombstone read this warning Chorus