Lyrics Sam Gass - Harry McClintock

Sam Bass was born in Indiana, it was his native home
And at the age of seventeen young Sam began to roam
He first came out to Texas, a cowboy for to be
A kinder-hearted feller you seldom ever see

Sam used to deal in race-stock, once owned the Denton Mare
He matched her in scrub races and took her to the fair
Sam used to coin the money and spent it just as free
He always drank good whiskey wherever he might be

Sam left the Collins ranch in the merry month of May
With a herd of Texas cattle, the Black Hills for to see
Sold out in Custer City, and then got on a spree
A harder set of cowboys you seldom ever see

On their way back to Texas, they robbed a UP train
They then split up in couples and started out again
Joe Collins and his partner were overtaken soon
With all their hard-earned money, they had to meet their doom

Sam made it back to Texas, all right side up with care
Rode into the town of Denton with all his friends to share
Sam's life was short in Texas; three robberies did he do
He robbed all the passengers and all the express cars, too

Sam had four companions, four bold and daring lads
There were Richardson, and Jackson, Joe Collins and Old Dad
Four more bold and daring cowboys the Rangers never knew
They whipped the Texas Rangers and ran the boys in blue

Sam had another companion called Arkansas for short
Was shot by a Texas Ranger by the name of Thomas Floyd
Oh, Tom's a big six-footer and thinks he's mighty fly
But I can tell you his racket: he's a deadbeat on the sly

Jim Murphy was arrested and then released on bail
He jumped his bond at Tyler, then took the train for Terrell
But Mayor Jones had posted Jim and that was all a stall
'Twas only a plan to capture Sam before the comin' fall

Sam met his fate at Round Rock, July the twenty-first
They pierced poor Sam with rifle balls and emptied out his purse
Poor Sam he is a corpse, and six foot under clay
And Jackson's in the bushes a-tryin' to get away

Jim had borrowed Sam's good gold and didn't want to pay
The only shot he saw was to give poor Sam away
He sold out Sam and Barnes, and left their friends to mourn
Oh, what a scorchin' Jim will get when Gabriel blows his horn

So he sold out Sam and Barnes and left their friends to mourn
Oh, what a scorchin' Jim will get when Gabriel blows his horn
Perhaps he's got to heaven; there's none of us can say
But if I'm right in my surmise he's gone the other way