G         F  C     G

[Verse 1]

G                         F    C
Beggin' your pardon there stranger
                                 G
You look like you're new to this town
                               F     C
We're a long way away from the beach here
                           G
You won't see many gringos around
                      F   C 
Well I come from West Colorado
                                     G
And I've wandered this world far and wide
                                 F  C 
I've lived for some years in the shadows
                               G
And my eyes are unused to this light
                                F   C 
If you buy me a strong drink of whiskey
                               G
I will tell you the tale of my life
                              F    C 
It's long and it's sad but it fits me
                                G
And it may bring a tear to your eye


[Verse 2]

G                             F   C
All the men of my family were solidiers
                                   G
The hard fightin' straight talkin' kind
                           F   C
When my turn came all that was over
                           G
But I'd already made up my mind
                                F  C
I was there when we blew though Grenada
                               G
And I still have to ask myself why
                            F    C
Then we took down that fool Noriega
                                         G
That's where I caught the good colonel's eye
                               F   C 
Well he asked me if I loved my country
                         G
And before I had time to reply
                                 F   C 
He regaled me with tales of past glories
                            G
I believed every one of his lies


[Verse 3]

G                     F      C
So I left my old life behind me
                                G
Turned my back on my family and friends
                               F     C
And I did everything that they asked me
                              G
And I lost some sleep now and again
                             F    C
And I lived like a thief and assassin
                             G
I smuggled their poisons sometimes
                                    F   C         G
Until I asked the wrong question in passin'


[Verse 4]

G                               F   C 
And the colonel himself dropped the dime
                          G
So if you're ever in west Colorado
                          F   C 
Tell the folks in Durango goodbye
                                       G
There's a price on my head and I can't go
                               F     C     G 
So I'll just wait around here 'til I die