Last Stop, Clarksdale...

The Mayor of Clarkdale had a problem
and the whole territory had one too
for the infamous gun-hand Dead-Eye Joe
was rumored to be passing through

the Sheriff was plum afraid of him
the marshal had already tucked tail and run
it wasn't the Joe was that bad a fella
it was those 6 bad bullets inside his gun

cause Joe had put more men in Boot Hill
than any other one person in the state
and wherever he went undertakers rejoiced
cause he left them lots of work in his wake

but the fearless mayor of Clarkdale
in his inaugural speech to the town
had swore that before he left crime take over
he would see his beloved city burned to the ground

so now all the townspeople sat and wondered
what the loud mouthed mayor would do
would he really find someway to stop Dead Eye
or would his boastful words ring untrue

so the mayor went to see Old Man Johnson
the oldest and wisest man of whom he'd heard
and asked him how he could stop Dead-Eye Joe
so that he wouldn't have to eat his words

Old Man Johnson listened to the mayor quietly
and then slowly got up from his seat on the porch
then he walked inside his house for a few minutes
and then he reappeared with some matches and a torch

He said "In all my many years on this earth
there are a few truths that I have learned.
And one is that you can't keep evil out
I guess that means Clarksdale must burn"

This may seem a far fetched tale
and I admit that I once thought the same
until my grandpa took me to Clarksdale
and I saw that only one house remained.