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(20,493 posts)Get a different lawyer!
DefenseLawyer
(11,101 posts)I'm not thinking about anything of substance until next week at the earliest.
Docreed2003
(16,862 posts)As a kid/teenager, I always imagined that it was Lefty who had killed Pancho, his friend, and took the bounty to make a new life in Ohio, mainly because of the split vocals between Willie and Merle. Then I was introduced to Townes Van Zandt, the songwriter for those that don't know. Townes' version is loaded with melancholy and emotion in a way that, as you point out in your question, pushes the song in a different direction. Instead of two men, I think it's very easy to see Lefty as being the new identity of Pancho. There's a couple reasons for this: a) the opening verse is a reflection on a man's life from a perspective only he could provide, b). "Nobody heard his dying words" c). "The dust that pancho bit down south ended up in Lefty's mouth"...sure it could mean that Lefty took down Pancho and would carry that burden, but it could just as easily suggest a transition from Pancho to Lefty.
At the end of the day, it's an interesting question. I'm not sure we'll ever know for sure, because Townes never said what the song was really about.
Here's one of my favorite versions...
DefenseLawyer
(11,101 posts)If he had been paid a bounty for killing Poncho, at least the ones that paid the bounty would know. It's a fun twist on the song, and I always root for the outlaw to give the cops the slip. I like to imagine that Butch and Sundance made it too.
Skittles
(153,169 posts)I babysat for his kid......yes indeed
Docreed2003
(16,862 posts)Color me very jealous.
hibbing
(10,098 posts)Tecumseh Valley is a heartbreaking song.
Peace
panader0
(25,816 posts)they only let him get away out of kindness I suppose.