Beware of Duke Brandon

# "Beware of Duke Brandon"

## Verse 1 — The Man in the Red Shirt

The sun goes down on a dusty town, And the last stagecoach comes rolling down. The saloon doors swing, the fiddles fall still, When Duke Brandon rides over the hill.

A red shirt flashes beneath the moon, His shadow arrives before him too soon. There's a price on his head and a gun at his side, And trouble follows wherever he rides.

## Chorus — Beware of Duke Brandon!

Beware, beware, of Duke Brandon's name, A ruthless rider with a fearsome fame. When the dust clouds rise on the old west trail, Bar your doors and pray you don't fail.

Keep your gold locked up, keep your lanterns low, There's a dangerous outlaw on the road below. From the canyon walls to the desert sand, God help the town that meets Duke Brandon!

## Verse 2 — Wanted Dead or Alive

There's a wanted poster nailed to the door, With Duke's face staring from the general store. The sheriff says, "Boys, keep your rifles near, For Brandon's the devil when he appears."

He robs the stage and he raids the train, Then vanishes west in the pouring rain. No jail can hold him, no posse can stay The outlaw who always slips away.

## Chorus — Beware of Duke Brandon!

Beware, beware, of Duke Brandon's name, A ruthless rider with a fearsome fame. When the dust clouds rise on the old west trail, Bar your doors and pray you don't fail.

Keep your gold locked up, keep your lanterns low, There's a dangerous outlaw on the road below. From the canyon walls to the desert sand, God help the town that meets Duke Brandon!

## Verse 3 — The Brandon Gang

They say he never rides alone, For hardened gunmen call his trail their home. Black Bart rides where the shadows fall, And Doc Brandon answers Duke's call.

Three dark riders beneath one sky, With smoke on the wind as the hours roll by. The lawmen gather, but they understand: There's danger riding with the Brandon gang.

## Bridge — The Sheriff's Last Warning

The sheriff stood in the lantern light, His silver star shining in the night.

"There's one thing, strangers, you ought to know: When Duke Brandon comes, don't be slow. Don't chase his shadow, don't follow his track, For some who ride out never come back."

Then a gunshot echoed beyond the square, And every soul felt the midnight air. Three horses thundered past the jail, And Duke Brandon vanished down the trail.

## Final Chorus — The Legend of Duke Brandon

Beware, beware, of Duke Brandon's name, The West still whispers of his wicked fame. When the coyotes howl and the cold winds blow, There's a red-shirted rider you don't want to know.

Lock the stable, bolt the door, Watch the trail and guard your store. Let this warning cross the frontier land:

Fear the outlaw Duke Brandon!

Fear the red shirt! Fear the brand! And pray you never meet Duke Brandon!

Spoken outro — deep, gravelly cowboy voice, with a slow harmonica playing underneath:

"Every town has a bad man. Every county has a wanted poster. But there's only one Duke Brandon.

They say the devil wears black...

But Duke Brandon wears red.

And if you see that red shirt coming over the ridge, stranger...

You'd best start praying."