Johnny Cash - Big Iron

To the town of Agua Fria

Rode a stranger one fine day.

Hardly spoke to folks around him,

Didn't have too much to say.

No one dared to ask his business,

No one dared to make a slip,

For the stranger there among them

Had a big iron on his hip,

Big iron on his hip.

It was early in the morning,

Then he rode into the town.

He came riding from the south side,

Slowly lookin' all around.

He's an outlaw loose and running,

Came the whisper from each lip,

And he's here to do some business

With the big iron on his hip,

Big iron on his hip.

In this town there lived an outlaw

By the name of Texas Red.

Many men had tried to take him,

And that many men were dead.

He was vicious and a killer

Though a youth of twenty four.

And the notches on his pistol

Numbered one an nineteen more,

One and nineteen more.

Now the stranger started talking,

Made it plain to folks around.

Was an Arizona ranger,

Wouldn't be too long in town.

He came here to take an outlaw

Back alive or maybe dead,

And he said, it didn't matter,

He was after Texas Red,

After Texas Red.

Wasn't long before the story

Was relayed to Texas Red.

But the outlaw didn't worry,

Men that tried before were dead.

Twenty men had tried to take him,

Twenty men had made a slip.

Twenty one would be the ranger

With the big iron on his hip,

Big iron on his hip.

The morning passed so quickly,

It was time for them to meet.

It was twenty past eleven,

When they walked out in the street.

Folks were watching from the windows,

every-body held their breath.

They knew, this handsome ranger

Was about to meet his death,

Was about to meet his death.

There was forty feet between them,

When they stopped to make their play.

And the swiftness of the ranger

Is still talked about today.

Texas Red had not cleared leather

Fore a bullet fairly ripped.

And the ranger's aim was deadly

With the big iron on his hip,

Big iron on his hip.

It was over in a moment,

And the folks had gathered round.

There before them lay the body

Of the outlaw on the ground.

Oh he might have went on living,

But he made one fatal slip,

When he tried to match the ranger

With the big iron on his hip,

Big iron on his hip.

Big iron, big iron...

When he tried to match the ranger

With the big iron on his hip...