Claude Dallas-Ian Tyson

[ti:Claude Dallas] [ar:Ian Tyson] [al:Cowboyography] [by:] [offset:0] [00:00.00]Claude Dallas - Ian Tyson [00:10.47]In a land the Spanish once had called the Northern Mystery [00:15.24] [00:16.00]Where rivers run and disappear the mustang still is free [00:21.02]By the Devil's wash and coyote hole in the wild Owyhee Range [00:26.42]Somewhere in the sage tonight the wind calls out his name [00:31.47]Ayeayeaye [00:33.13] [00:37.06]Come gather 'round me buckaroos and a story I will tell [00:41.49] [00:42.02]Of the fugitive Claude Dallas who just broke out of jail [00:47.29]You might think this tale is history [00:49.96]From before the West was won [00:52.43]But the events that I'll describe [00:54.52]Took place in nineteen eighty one [00:57.42] [01:00.29]He was born out in Virginialeft home [01:03.69]When school was through [01:05.03] [01:05.61]In the deserts of Nevada he became a buckaroo [01:10.81]And he learned the ways of cattleand [01:13.49]He learned to sit a horse [01:15.99]And he always packed a pistoland he practiced deadly force [01:21.06] [01:23.95]Then Claude he became a trapperand [01:26.67]He dreamed of the bygone days [01:29.21]And he studied bobcat logic and their wild and silent ways [01:34.36]In the bloody runs near Paradise in monitors down south [01:39.68]Trapping cats and coyotesliving hand to mouth [01:44.63]Ayeayeaye [01:46.17] [01:50.08]Then Claude took to livin' all alone [01:52.87]Out many miles from town [01:55.44]A friend Jim Stevens brought supplies and he stayed to hang around [01:59.87] [02:00.55]That day two wardens Pogue and Elms rode into check Claude out [02:05.90]They were seeking violations and to see what Claude's about [02:10.72] [02:13.93]Now Claude had hung some venisonhe had a bobcat pelt or two [02:18.40] [02:18.98]Pogue claimed they were out of seasonhe said Dallasyou're all thru [02:23.72] [02:24.40]But Dallas would not leave his camp [02:27.04]He refused to go to town [02:29.51]As the wind howled throught the bull camp [02:32.17]They stared each other down [02:34.41] [02:37.37]It's hard to say what happend nextperhaps [02:40.62]We'll never know [02:42.03] [02:42.60]They were gonna take Claude in to jailand [02:45.36]He vowed he'd never go [02:47.26] [02:47.79]Jim Stevens heard the gunfireand when he turned around [02:53.06]Bill Pogue was falling backwards [02:55.51]Conley Elms he fell face down [02:58.24]Ayeayeaye [02:59.74] [03:14.26]Jim stevens walked on overthere [03:16.82]Was a gun near Bill Pogue's hand [03:19.30]It was hard to say who drawn his firstbut [03:22.26]Claude had made his stand [03:23.95] [03:24.47]Claude said I am justified Jimthey were gonna cut me down [03:29.42]And a man's got a right to hang some meat [03:32.51]When he's livin' this far from town [03:34.45] [03:37.80]It took eighteen men and fifteen months [03:40.60]To finally run Claude down [03:42.84] [03:43.36]In the sage outside of Paradise they drove him to the ground [03:47.68] [03:48.40]Convicted up in Idaho manslaughter by decree [03:52.69] [03:54.05]Thirty years at maximum but soon [03:56.79]Claude would break free [03:58.32] [04:01.23]There's two sides two this story there [04:04.08]May be no right or wrong [04:06.47]The lawman and the rene gade [04:09.32]Have graced a thousand songs [04:11.74]The story is an old one Conclusion's hard to draw [04:16.42] [04:16.99]But Claude's out in the sage tonight [04:19.47]He may be the last out law [04:21.84]Ayeayeaye [04:23.62] [04:27.42]In a land the Spanish once had called the Northern Mystery [04:32.08] [04:32.83]Where rivers run and disappear the mustang still is free [04:37.41] [04:37.97]By the Devil's wash and coyote hole in the wild Owy hee Range [04:43.34]Somewhere in the sage tonight the wind calls out his name [04:48.48]Ayeayeaye