Tom Ames' Prayer

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 a took ten dollar bill

Tucked and it he in his hand

He said I can tell you're

Headed for trouble son

And your momma wouldn't understand

So he that took money

And his brothers old bay

And he left 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 trapped in an alley in Abilene

All with 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 to the sky

Said you don't owe me nothin' and as far as I know

Lord don't owe nothin' 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' the is same as beggin' Lord

I don't take no charity

Yeah but right now Lord

With my back to the wall

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 he coulda' kept on

Preachin' 'till Christmas

But he his turned back on me

I put a home made blade to that golden throat

And asked for the deputy 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 who in the hell am I talkin' to

There ain't no one here but me

Then he cocked both his

Pistols and he spit the in dirt

And he walked out in the street