It was early, early one morning
When i heard my bulldog bark,
T'was staggolee and billy delyon
Squabbling in the dark.
Staggolee told billy delyon
“what do you think of that?
You win all my money, lord!
You spit in my stetson hat"
Staggolee were walking
In the red hot brawling sun,
Says: “bring me my six-shooter,
Lord i wants my fourty-one"
Staggolee were walking
Through the mud and through the sand
Says: “i feel mistreated this morning,
I could kill most any man"
Billy delyons told staggolee:
“please don't take my life,
I got three helpless children,
One poor, beautiful wife"
“i don't care nothing ‘bout your children
And nothing about your wife
You done mistreated me, billy,
And i'm bound to take your life".
He shot him three times in the shoulder, lord,
He shot him three times in the side.
Well, the last time he shot him
Caused billy lyons to die.
Staggolee told mrs. billy:
“you don't believe your man is dead?
Come on into the barroom,
See the hole i shot in his head!"
The high-sheriff told the deputies:
“get your pistols and come with me!
We got to go'n arrest the bad man
Known as staggolee"
The deputies took their pistols
They laid them on the shelf,
“if you want that bad man staggolee
You have to arrest him yourself!"
The high-sheriff asked the bartender
“who can that bad man be?"
“speak softly!?, said the bartender,
“that bad man's staggolee"
He touched old stag on the shoulder,
“say, stag, why do you run?"
“i don't run, white folk,
When i got my fourty-one"
The hangman put the mask on,
Tied his hands behind his back,
Sprung the trap on staggolee,
But his neck refused to crack.
The hangman, he got frightened,
Said: “chief, you see how it be,
I can't hang this man, lord,
You better set him free"
Three-hundred dollar funeral,
Thousand dollar hearse,
Satisfaction! “undertaker,
Put stag on down in the earth!"
Staggolee told the devil:
“say, come on and have some fun!
You stick me with your pitchfork,
And i'll shoot you with my fourty-one"
Staggolee took the pitchfork
And he laid it on a shelf,
He says: “stand back, tom devil, lord,
I'm gonna rule hell by myself."