Angel And The Badman
Composer(s): Johnny Cash
Performer(s): Johnny Cash



There was a man whose deeds were dark as night
And quite by chance he rode into the light
A man wild as the dust devil with no place to run 
Livin' by his wits and by his gun
He met a girl like none he had ever known 
She cared not for the wild oats he had sown
And so he laid his gun down and set his spirit free 
Began living in respectability
But his old ways of thinkin' wouldn't die 
Could not forget the old creed he lived by
And the good and bad and right and wrong kept fightin' for his soul
Till his heart and mind both went out of control

But now the old saloon had lost its spell 
What once was laughter now was living hell
And the hookers, guns and drinkin' in his life were out of place
And in his mind he saw an angel's face
So he burned all his bridges in a day 
And the devil deeds were done and laid away
And he rode out a better man than when he first rode in
And the angel got the badman in the end