BACKSTORY
GHOST OF TARRYTOWN * As a kid and even today I always like Westerns. I love horses and the Western way of living. This reminds me of a harder time, yet untangled from so much we face today. This was first a poem, then I thought it would make a good song, then I thought a song like a movie soundtrack. So, I kept the song simple yet lots of western sounds to go along - just like the movies !
LYRICS
It was a cold winter’s morn
when the cowboy came to town.
Folks all stood there watching,
not a one made a sound.
Friend or Foe, they did not know.
As he quietly rode his steed,
they could feel a cold wind blowin’
To fear this man, there was no need.
The sheriff came out
and looked at this man
With his hand by his side
He asked the stranger what this was about
He said, “I’m Marshall Dan,
and there’s trouble ‘bout to hit this town”
“You see, on the other side of that hill,
there’s a group of men, waitin’ to kill”
“to take over this town, this here ground,
at dawn tomorrow – they will”
“so, I’m here to round up a posse,
and we will ride out just East of town”
“And when they come a-ridin’ over that ridge,
we will finally lay them down”
So the sheriff rounded up all the men,
and rode out of Tarrytown.
They set up a wall of men,
and waited for dawn to come around
Soon they could hear the coming of horses
ridin’ fast, men hollering out.
As they came up over the ridge
They began to shoot it out
When it was all done and said
All those men lay dead
And the town folk started hollering out
For this Marshall Dan
For he had saved their town
But, Marshall Dan was still on the ground
His body not moving
Not making a sound
A bullet from one of those varmints
Had laid old Marshall Dan down
Now, all of Tarrytown came out that day
They layed old Marshall Dan down in his grave
And on a moonlit night,
The wind blowin’ just right
You can hear old Marshall Dan’s
Ghost ridin’ out of town...
© ANDREW DEAN MUSIC (BMI) #836605
