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The Sky Above and the Mud Below
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Ramblin' Jack Elliott
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1
Two men rode in from the south, a rainy autumn night
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The Sky above and the mud below
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They walked into the Deacon's bar, they were Mexican by sight
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The sky above and the mud below
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They threw a horsehair bridle down, we trade this for whiskey rounds
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The Deacon slams a bottle down, the two men start to drinkin'
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Their hair was long and black, tied up behind their ears
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Their faces were identical, like one man beside a mirror
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Then someone whispered that beats all, their wanted posters on the wall
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Twin brothers name of Sandoval, horse thieves from Boquillas
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Now the bridle and the belts they wore were braided gray and black
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The color of a roan horse once belonged to Deacon Black
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The fastest horse for miles around, he'd been stolen from the old fairground
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A month ago outside of town we tracked and never found him
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Now the Deacon was a preacher who had fallen hard from grace
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He owned the bar and a string of quarter horses that he'd race
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Yea, Deacon he could drink and curse, though he still quoted sacred verse
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He was sheriff, judge; he owned the hearse, a man you did not anger
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The sky above, the mud below, the wind and rain, the sleet and snow
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Two horse thieves from Mexico drinkin' hard and singin'
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One brother he spoke English, Deac inquires as to their work
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The man says mister we braid horsehair bridles, ropes and quirts
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Yea, that fine bridle we did make, a roan horse killed by leg-bone break
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He's horsehair rope now; horse-meat steak, we cleaned him to the bone
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Well these gentlemen they were ignorant or didn't know just where they were
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The Deacon's face grew darker as he measured every word
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You horsehair braidin' sons o' witches stole my claim to earthly riches
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Someone go and dig a ditch, there may well be a hangin'
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One brother reached inside his shirt searching for his gun
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Too late, for Deac had whipped around his sawed off Remington
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The twins, they raised their hands and sneered, Deac was grinnin' ear to ear
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He says court's in session, hear ye hear, yours truly is presidin'
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Well the trial commenced and ended quick they didn't have a hope
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Deac says we'll cut your hair now boys and you can braid yourselves a rope
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The Old Testament, it says somewhere eye for eye and hair for hair
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Covet not thy neighbors mare, I believe it's Revelations
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Now the fancy horsehair bridle, it hangs on Deacon's wall
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Next to that wanted poster of the brothers Sandoval
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And he twisted rope so shiny black, the artifact that broke their necks
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Their craftsmanship he did respect, they shoulda stuck to braidin'
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The sky above the mud below, the wind and rain, the sleet and snow
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The Deacon's hearse is rollin' slow in the first blue light of mornin'
The Sky Above, The Mud Below (Tom Russel...
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