Saloon version

Lyrics

(Saloon Call-and-Response Chant) Leader: Come gather ‘round the old piano All: Bang them keys! Bang them keys! Leader: Pour it strong and pour it fast All: Let him swing! Let him swing! Leader: Who we singin’ ‘bout tonight, boys? All: That bad man! That bad man! Leader: What’d they do to him come Christmas? All: Hung him high! Hung him high! ⸻ Leader: Rode in mean with blood on his boots All: That’s him! That’s him! Leader: Shot the law and robbed the bank All: Goddamn! Goddamn! Leader: Did he beg? Did he pray? All: Not once! Not once! Leader: Did he laugh when the rope went tight? All: Sure did! Sure did! ⸻ All (together, stomping): 🎶 The cowboy they hung last Christmas 🎶 🎶 The cowboy they hung last Christmas 🎶 ⸻ Leader: Any bells ring when he swung? All: No bells! No bells! Leader: Any angels sing him home? All: No sir! No sir! Leader: Just a rope and a winter sun All: That’s right! That’s right! Leader: Just another job well done All: That’s life! That’s life! ⸻ All (louder, messier): 🎶 The cowboy they hung last Christmas 🎶 🎶 The cowboy they hung last Christmas 🎶 ⸻ Leader (half drunk): What happens to bad men, boys? All: They swing! They swing! Leader: What happens round here come snow? All: Same thing! Same thing! Leader: Who’s next if we don’t behave? All: You are! You are! Leader: So what do we do right now? All: DRINK UP! DRINK UP! ⸻ All (final, pounding): 🎶 The cowboy they hung last Christmas 🎶 🎶 The cowboy they hung last Christmas 🎶 (Piano bangs one ugly chord. Laughter. Glasses slam.)