The Passenger

(album: Rodeo Songs "Old & New" - 1973)

It was dark and I was driving down a lonely Texas road
The night was hot and sleep pulled at my eyes
I was thinking bout the wild times and the women that I'd had
The deceitful things I'd done and those lies

When standing in the shadows at the side of the road
Stood the figure of a withered old man
He wore a black bandana a roping stetson hat
With a two inch scarlet hat band

He held his wrinkled hand up as a sign to shut 'er down
So I pulled over and stopped at his side
He opened up the door slid in and sat down
And said my ain't it hot tonight

I studied this old man and it seemed mighty strange
For him to be out here all alone
And then he started talking and he told me many things
Of times that both of us had known

He told me of the wild life and the women that he'd known
How none of them had ever meant a thing
He told me of a black night much the same as this
Of the strange and awesome things he'd seen
A man beside the road had raised his hand
And flagged him down So he stopped and let him in
That stranger told him stories that I am hearing now
Bout the wild times and all the sin

And the car got cold and clamy and this old man looked at me
He said boy I've come here for you
Your days of wicked sinning have come to an end
As a mortal on this earth you are through

Then his eyes got red and firey as he took his stetson off
To reveal his evil horns shiney and black
My god the fear came o'er and my senses were all lost
I fought with him until we finally crashed

Next day they found the car at the bottom of the draw
The young cowboy was found beside the wreck
The car had been consumed by fire
But the cowboy had no marks
Except the smoking pitchfork brand upon his neck