A Life to Win
- Geoffrey Clarfield
- Jul 21
- 1 min read
Words and Music © 2025 by Geoffrey Clarfield.
A Life to Win
A man is set for hangin'
He killed his brother’s wife
The jury couldn’t abide it
They wanted life for life
Carpenters man the scaffold
Lay the ropes in the sun
Some have started on whiskey
Others have started with rum
But over on the horizon
Like a hurricane wind
Come seven pale riders
With a life to win
I will defy your jury
I will break and run
You will all know my fury
You’ll be the man on the run
He stole my life
When I was away
I couldn’t find any other way
He told me I was another man’s son
That's when I pulled out my gun
But over on the horizon
Like a hurricane wind
Come seven pale riders
With a life to win
Hangin' day is fast approachin'
The riders come to town
First they shoot out the gaslights
Then they fire at the crowd
The judge and the jury
They can’t stand their ground
The marshall’s gun fires one last round
While they all leave town
But over on the horizon
There's a hurricane wind
Six and seven riders
With a life to win
Where there's love
There is sorrow
And many kinds of fights
And the times of bloodshed
Reap a terrible blight
Across the generations
Young men have fought
Some of them have learned to love
Most of them have not
But over on the horizon
Just like a hurricane wind
Came seven pale riders
With a life to win