From a town known as Wheeling, West Virginia Rode a boy with a six-gun in his hand And his daring life of crime Made him a legend in his time East and West of the Rio Grande Well he started with a bank in Colorado In the pocket of his vest a Colt he hid And his age and his size Took the teller by surprise And the word spread of Billy the Kid Well he never travelled heavy Yes, he always rode alone And he soon put many older guns to shame Well he never had a sweetheart And he never had a home But the cowboys and the ranchers knew his name Well he robbed his way from Utah to Oklahoma And the law just could not seem to track him down And it served his legend well
For the folks they love to tell 'Bout when Billy the Kid came to town One cold day a posse captured Billy And the judge said, "String 'im up for what he did." And the cowboys and their kin Like the sea came pourin' in To watch the hangin' of Billy the Kid Well he never travelled heavy Yes, he always rode alone And he soon put many older guns to shame Well he never had a sweetheart Tho' he finally found a home Underneath the Boot Hill grave that bears his name From a town known as Oyster Bay, Long Island Rode a boy with a six-pack in his hand And his daring life of crime Made him a legend in his time East and West of the Rio Grande