Tom Russell - The banks of the musselshell

I stare out every evening at the ^Cdistant Northern ^GStar It leads us ever Northward and it ^Ctells us that we ^Gare Lost below the ^FYellowstone, in a land unknown to ^Gme Ten thousand miles from my ^Cloved ones and my home across the ^Gsea

We travel through an empty land, the ^Cbenches are all ^Gstrewn With Bison bones that shine ghost white ‘neath the ^Crising of the ^Gmoon And the red wolf howls an ^Fanswer as I try to sing on ^Gguard Indentured to these ^CTexans, in a land so wild and ^Ghard

When I hired on to Bill Ducharm In the ^Cheat of the Texas ^Gsun I was unaware of his darker side, his ^Cquickness with a ^Ggun But I made a solemn ^Fpromise, oh, I’d ride with him through ^Ghell Deliver the herds to the ^Cends of the earth or the mouth of the Mussel^Gshell

Well, I just turned about sixteen when we ^Chit that first cow-^Gtown I drank my first strong liquor, ohhh, and the ^Cwomen spun me ^Ground But of all the barroom ^Fangels, with their soft forbidden ^Gcharms I was stuck on blue-eyed ^CAnnie, who belonged to Bill Du^Gcharm

And the ^Fboy became a ^Cman That ^Fnight in Annie’s ^Darms Oh, ^FAnnie cried and ^Cbegged me Be^Dware of Bill Du^D7charm

We ^Gleft that Texas cow-town, we ^Cpointed the big herd ^Gnorth But the first night when the moon was down, I rode ^Cback to old Fort ^GWorth They were closing up the ^Fbarroom, oh, they were rolling up the ^Gfloor My heart was in my ^Cmouth as I knocked on Annie’s ^Gdoor

And the ^Fboy became a ^Cman That ^Fnight in Annie’s ^Darms Oh, ^FAnnie cried and ^Cbegged me Be^Dware of Bill Du^D7charm

Old ^GBill Ducharm had one bad eye and his ^Cface was a devilish ^Gred The results of a bygone ferry fire, when he ^Ccrawled back from the ^Gdead And every night in ^Fdreams, as I rolled in Annie’s ^Garms I’d wait to face old ^CSatan in the guise of Bill Du^Gcharm

When each night 'cross the campfire, I’d ^Cface that one bad ^Geye Did he know that I’d betrayed him, had my ^Chour come to ^Gdie? One promise he made ^Ftrue, ah, we rode with him through h^Gell We delivered the herds to the ^Cends of the earth and the mouth of the Mussel^Gshell

And the ^Fboy became a ^Cman That ^Fnight in Annie’s ^Darms Oh, ^FAnnie cried and ^Cbegged me Be^Dware of Bill Du^D7charm

But now as we near the Yellowstone, the ^Csnow begins to ^Gfall And soon this dreadful enterprise shall be ^Cending for us ^Gall It’s then I’ll need fast ^Fhorses, ah, to fly to Annie’s ^Garms And stay one jump a^Chead of the guns of Bill Du^Gcharm

And the ^Fboy became a ^Cman That ^Fnight in Annie’s ^Darms Oh, ^FAnnie cried and ^Cbegged me Be^Dware of Bill Du^D7charm

Oh, the ^Fboy became a ^Cman That ^Fnight in Annie’s ^Darms Oh, ^FAnnie cried and ^Cbegged me Be^Dware of Bill Du^D7charm

^GOoooh ooh ^Cooh ooh ooh ^Gooh Ooooh ooh ^Cooh ooh ooh ^Gooh Ohh ohh ^Fhmmmmmmmmmm ^Ghmmm ^COoooh ooh ^Goooooh ooh ooh oooooh oooh ooh