[Intro – Slow harmonica in A minor, lonely and echoing like desert wind] [Verse 1] Riding through the canyon, sun is sinkin’ low A six-shot memory from a life I used to know Boots are worn and bloody, hat pulled down with rust All I’ve got to ride on now is lead and dust [Chorus] Lead and dust, and a fire in my soul Whiskey in my veins, and a heart gone cold The law’s on my heels, but I do what I must This world ain’t built for mercy — only lead and dust [Verse 2] She was light and laughter, now she’s just a name Buried in the silence of this never-ending plain I tried to leave the killing, lay my pistol down But trouble has a way of finding ghosts in every town [Chorus] Lead and dust, and a fire in my soul Whiskey in my veins, and a heart gone cold The law’s on my heels, but I do what I must This world ain’t built for mercy — only lead and dust [Bridge] Every mile behind me is another sin unpaid Every night I dream of her, and every dawn it fades But I ride on, I ride alone — through judgment, through the rust ‘Til the wind don’t whisper nothin’ but lead and dust [Final Chorus] Lead and dust, it’s all I ever knew A bullet for the devil, and a prayer for the truth They’ll carve my name in silence, in a grave that’s barely crust ‘Cause I was born to die beneath the weight of lead and dust [Outro – Harmonica returns, fading into the wind. Slow, mournful melody. A – G – E – C – A – (pause) – C – A]
