Everyone in Nacadoches knew Tom Ames
would come To some bad end
Well the sheriff had cought him stealin' chickens
and such
by the time that he was ten

And one day his daddy took a ten dollar bill
and he tucked it in his hand
He said I can fell your headed for trouble son
and vour momma wouldn't understand

So he took that money and his brothers old bay
ancl IeE without a word of thanks
Fell in with a crowd in some border town
and took to robbin' banks

Outside the law your luck will run out fast
and a few years came and went
'Till he's tropped in an alley in Abilene
with all but four shells spent

And he realized prayin' was the only thing
that he hadn't ever tried
Well he wasn't sure he knew quite how
but he looked up tothe skv

Said you don't owe me nothin' and as far as I know
Lord don'f owe nathin' to you
And I ain't askin' for a miracle Lord
just a little bit of luck will do

And you know I ain't never prayed before
but it always seemed to me
If prayin' is the same us beggin' Lord
I won't take no charity

Yeah but right now Lord witb my back to the wcll
Can't help but recall
How they nearly hung me for stealin' a horse
in Fort Smith Arkansas

Judge Parker said guilty and the gavel came down
just like a cannon shot
And I went away quietly
and I began to file and plot

Well they sent the preacher down, to my cell
He said the Lord is your only hope
He's the only friend that you gonna have
When you hit the end of Parker's rope

Well I guess be coulda' kept on preachin' 'till Christmas
but he turned his back on me
I put a home made blade to that golden throat
and asked the deputy for the key

Well it ain't the first close call I ever had
I'm sure you already know
I had some help from you Lord and the devil himself
It's been strictly touch and go

Yeah but wbo in the hell am I talkin' to
there ain't no one here but me
Then he cocked both his pistols and he spit in the dirt
and he walked out in the stre