"Pancho and Lefty" - Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard

"Pancho and Lefty" - Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard

"Pancho and Lefty" is a folk song written by Townes Van Zandt. Van Zandt first recorded it for his 1972 album, The Late Great Townes Van Zandt. Emmylou Harris then covered the song for her 1977 album, Luxury Liner and the song became a number one country hit in 1983 when Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson adopted it as the title track of their duet album Pancho & Lefty.
The song tells the story of a Mexican bandit named Pancho and a more enigmatic character, Lefty. The song tells of Pancho's death and implies that he was betrayed by his associate Lefty who was paid off by the Mexican federales.
Although many people assume the song is about the famous Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa, Van Zandt denied this. The lyrics are not reconcilable with any historic details of Villa's life and death. It is far more likely, as with many of Van Zandt's songs, that the song is about himself.
In an interview, Van Zandt recalled, "We got stopped by these two policeman and...they said 'What do you do for a living?', and I said, 'Well, I'm a songwriter', and they both kind of looked around like 'pitiful, pitiful', and so on to that I added, 'I wrote that song Pancho and Lefty. You ever heard that song Pancho and Lefty? I wrote that', and they looked back around and they looked at each other and started grinning, and it turns out that their squad car, you know their partnership, it was two guys, it was an Anglo and a Hispanic, and it turns out, they're called Pancho and Lefty..so I think maybe that's what it's about, those two guys..I hope I never see them again."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Pancho
• and
• Lefty
• Willie
• Nelson
• Merle
• Haggard

[DIJV79]

Who sings the song sweet home Virginia?

[blunt1984]

@DIJV79 I'm not sure which song you are talking about, but their is a song about West Virginia that is similar to your description. 

It's called "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver.

[laurenblackfire]

my dad plays this song on the guitar and it makes me cry like every time :(

[ORYGUNLADY]

((((((APPLAUDS))))))

[sammydog1964]

Our prayers are with Mr Haggard,,,Get well soon!!

[jodiefoster11]

I love this!! They don't make them like this any more!!

[THEFLYINGREDNECK]

@ugotitpunk hey, whats up. ITS YOU!

[ugotitpunk]

The Hag is in hospital in GA. Pray for him! He will never be replaced-- ever.

[THEFLYINGREDNECK]

one of the greatest country songs EVER!

[jackpark7927]

I really think this is Willie at his very best.

[Islingtonians]

BREATH AS HARD AS KEROSENE. WORD.

[yofi01]

I see your point. But my follow-up question would be, what do we owe the illegals if natural selection is wrong and progress is the order of the day.

[TheDale1972]

@yofi01 I agree with you, but we have to foot the bill for what the illegals are getting away with. If you give to everyone and everything how is your own quality of life going to suffer? Natural selection is a part of life.

[yofi01]

Hey dumbshit, don't you know we're all human beings and all evolved from bacteria that lived 4 billion years ago. That means that you're a mut as much as anyone and probably are the great great grandson of hitler, but just because luck makes you born one way or another doesn't make you dirt. To have the misfortune of being born poor in a third world country is not something one should be kicked and killed for. Those who risk their lives because they are so desperate should be welcomed.