The Ballad of Anna Lee
Music and Lyrics by Joe Bolinger
It’s cool in the morning, hot in the evening sun
Our sin brought Jesus to the earth and he died for everyone.
Even that bad outlaw who stole young anna lee
In the spring of 1864 across the lone prarie.
My father was a miller, mother died too young.
The folks here made me sherrif when I turned 21.
Cause I could shoot the lights out, sitting still or on the fly
Face down some drunk skinner, and look him in the eye.
Anna Lee, Anna Lee, Don’t you try to run.
He’ll just shoot you in the back with his 44 gun.
And even if you can escape, you’ll die in awful pain
lose your scalp or starve to death alone out on the plain.
lose your scalp or starve to death alone out on the plain.
So listen to me riders, now gather round to me.
We’ll head out on the prairie for to rescue Anna Lee.
And we’ll string up that bad outlaw on a lonely tree so high
Prove that laws of God and man, you cannot defy.
Anna Lee, Anna Lee, Don’t you try to run.
He’ll just shoot you in the back with his 44 gun.
And even if you can escape, you’ll die in awful pain
lose your scalp or starve to death alone out on the plain.
lose your scalp or starve to death alone out on the plain.
We found her in the morning, her dress was rent apart.
Lifeless eyes were staring where the sky and prairie part.
I mumbled through a hymn about our victory in death
And we never found that outlaw, nor she took another breath.
Many years later, I found that outlaw’s grave.
He’d died rich and happy at the age of 98.
And I can only pray that he found his just reward.
For what he did to Anna Lee in the spring of 64.
For what he did to Anna in the spring of 64
Our sin brought Jesus to the earth and he died for everyone.
Even that bad outlaw who stole young anna lee
In the spring of 1864 across the lone prarie.
My father was a miller, mother died too young.
The folks here made me sherrif when I turned 21.
Cause I could shoot the lights out, sitting still or on the fly
Face down some drunk skinner, and look him in the eye.
Anna Lee, Anna Lee, Don’t you try to run.
He’ll just shoot you in the back with his 44 gun.
And even if you can escape, you’ll die in awful pain
lose your scalp or starve to death alone out on the plain.
lose your scalp or starve to death alone out on the plain.
So listen to me riders, now gather round to me.
We’ll head out on the prairie for to rescue Anna Lee.
And we’ll string up that bad outlaw on a lonely tree so high
Prove that laws of God and man, you cannot defy.
Anna Lee, Anna Lee, Don’t you try to run.
He’ll just shoot you in the back with his 44 gun.
And even if you can escape, you’ll die in awful pain
lose your scalp or starve to death alone out on the plain.
lose your scalp or starve to death alone out on the plain.
We found her in the morning, her dress was rent apart.
Lifeless eyes were staring where the sky and prairie part.
I mumbled through a hymn about our victory in death
And we never found that outlaw, nor she took another breath.
Many years later, I found that outlaw’s grave.
He’d died rich and happy at the age of 98.
And I can only pray that he found his just reward.
For what he did to Anna Lee in the spring of 64.
For what he did to Anna in the spring of 64