Some wounds close the skin first... And the soul last. ohhh oh ooh ohh oh oh ohhh oh ooh ohh oh oh I had a husband back east once, Mean as a snake all wrapped up in pain Hands that loved to leave their mark, Mouth that spat hate like rain. So one night beneath a kitchen lamp I ended what evil he’d do, Left him cooling on the floorboards And rode toward something new. Murphy’s took me in out west, No questions, just cash, and gin, Said, “Can you dance?” I said, “All night.” She said, “Then girl, come on in.” I wore my scarlet armor there, Laughed where lonely men would go... Till kindness walked through swinging doors And called himself Cactus Joe. I was Red Silk Rosie, Pretty lie in candlelight, Spinning through the smoke and sawdust, Keeping my pain dressed up bright. Then one good man looked past the paint, Saw the heart beneath the show... Before the world broke half of him And stole my Cactus Joe. ohhh oh ooh ohh oh oh ohhh oh ooh ohh oh oh He’d bring me sage and prairie blooms, Speak gentle under the moon Never asked why I had run... Unlike the rest... who thought i was just for fun. He talked of land and quieter days, A shack, a horse, the sky of baby blue... And for the first time since I shot that gun I thought dreams might come true. Then Lucky Vale with his silver grin Came dealing blackened fate, Joe stood tall and called him a cheat Across a whiskey slate. Glass flew fast and blood came warm, The room roared low and vile... When Joe rose up to swing again He’d lost an eye...and his smile. I was Red Silk Rosie, Screaming through the shattered din, Holding rags against the red flood Pouring from his skin. I prayed the man I loved was there Somewhere below the blow... But pain can change a man far before The the undertaker lays him low. ohhh oh ooh ohh oh oh ohhh oh ooh ohh oh oh I nursed him in the upstairs room For twenty nights or more, Changed the bandage, cooled the fever, Kept watch beside the door. Fed him broth and softly sang him songs, Bathed the scars with care... He’d stare long hours at empty walls Like no one else was there. When at last he stood and dressed himself I cried to see him strong... But the Joe who rose from out that bed Had somehow gone all wrong. His laugh came sharp, his temper quick, His kindness running low... And Silver Creek quit saying “Cactus” then, They called him One-Eyed Joe. He drank too hard, he gambled worse, Picked fights he’d never pick, Flinched when someone touched his back, Spoke mean and spoke it quick. I’d say, “Joe, I’m right here still...” He’d answer, “Well he ain’t. You loved a man Vale killed that night. And i am what remains.” I was Red Silk Rosie, Helpless with a healing hand, You can stitch the flesh together But not the soul of a man. So if you hear one angry laugh Where Murphy’s candles glow... That’s the ghost of who he used to be... he's now known as One-Eyed Joe. Well I decided then and there... Id send Lucky Vale to hell!...
