Paying the Fiddler

By Dub Miller and Matt Skinner C C/B Am Left a dead man in Chihuahua, now hes hiding out in Baja F G in the sun and sand where no one knows the past C C/B Am of a long forgotten hero from a long forgotten time D G an outlaw who has seen his better days Am F Now in Cabo senoritas, forgotten dreams and cheap tequila C G maybe he might ease his wounded soul C C/B Am from a thousand revolutions, he must pay his retribution, F G C and make his peace with finally getting old Chorus: C7 F G C C/BAm He said Ive been to all four corners, and Ive ridden all four winds Am/G FG C and Ive had somewhere to go up till now F GC C/B Am hes the last of a dying breed, whos seen all there is to see F G C and hes paying the fiddler now. When the cold wind hit the Frio, it was time to leave Del Rio Uncle Sam was calling him to fight headlines say torpedoes, their like Houston mosquitoes boys, pack your bags, were leaving here tonight It was that Pacific Ocean where he first got the notion that a mercenary lifes the way to be so he traded in his saddle and his favorite pair of boots for the wind and sail and life upon the sea Chorus In the spring of 45, he left MacArthurs side and found himself entrenched in Panama then on to Costa Rica, then to fight the Sandanistas then on to somewhere else I cant recall Lines of latitude and longitude never made a bit of sense to a man who made his living making war its a life lived by the peso and the crooked dollar bill and the constant call of another distant shore Chorus Now the setting western sun hides the secrets of the desert a marichai band plays their last sad song and old man pours a glass of rum and thinks about the past and a future where he no longer belongs As the tourists wander in he wonders can they see the sins of the scars that his battered body bears do they know of all the deeds hes done, or know of all the battles won now hes too old to fight and no one really cares Chorus