Beware of Black Bart

# "Beware of Black Bart"

## Verse 1 — The Stranger in Black

Out where the prairie meets the sky, And the buzzards circle way up high, There rides a man with a heart gone cold, With a tale of blood and a soul long sold. A black bandanna hides his face, No lawman dares to match his pace, They call him Bart, the devil's own, A wanted man with a heart of stone.

## Chorus — Beware!

Beware, beware, of Black Bart's name, He rides through darkness, leaving shame. When hooves beat hard on the dusty track, Don't draw your gun, don't turn your back. Lock your doors and dim your light, For Black Bart rides alone at night. Pray to Heaven, hold your ground, For once he's near, there's no safe town.

## Verse 2 — The Gunslinger's Trail

The sheriff pinned his wanted sheet, Where Main Street's dusty crossroads meet. A hundred dollars, dead or alive, For the man who'd make it out alive. He robbed the rich and took his leave, With silver coins tucked in his sleeve. And every town from here to west Knew Black Bart would bring no rest.

## Chorus — Beware!

Beware, beware, of Black Bart's name, He rides through darkness, leaving shame. When hooves beat hard on the dusty track, Don't draw your gun, don't turn your back. Lock your doors and dim your light, For Black Bart rides alone at night. Pray to Heaven, hold your ground, For once he's near, there's no safe town.

## Verse 3 — The Last Warning

One cold night by the canyon wall, The wind cried out like a dying call. A lantern swung, a rifle gleamed, And Bart rode through like a wicked dream. The townsfolk heard three shots ring clear, Then silence fell, and death drew near. At dawn, beneath the blood-red sun, The sheriff swore that Bart was done.

## Bridge — The Campfire Legend

But some say Bart still rides the plains, Through midnight fog and desert rains. A shadow moving where the coyotes cry, A dark silhouette beneath the sky. And if you hear a horseman's tread, Or see a bandanna, dark as lead, Don't call his name into the night, Just pray your lantern burns till light.

## Final Chorus — The Ballad's Warning

Beware, beware, of Black Bart's name, The West remembers his trail of shame. Keep your children close tonight, And bar the windows, bolt them tight. For legends live when the campfires die, And dark clouds gather across the sky. So heed these words, wherever you are: Beware the outlaw known as Black Bart.

Spoken outro — in a low, gravelly cowboy voice:

> "The West is wide, and the nights are long. But if you hear a rider coming after sundown... don't wait to see who's there. Some men ride for gold. Some ride for glory. Black Bart rides