“Pancho and Lefty” is today’s classic song of the day. Written by singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt, it’s a story song about a Mexican bandit named Pancho and his pal Lefty, who eventually betrays him to the Federales.
Some people think that “Pancho and Lefty” is about real Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. Mr. Van Zandt said that wasn’t the case, but maybe it was:
“I realize that I wrote it, but it’s hard to take credit for the writing because it came from out of the blue. It came through me, and it’s a real nice song, and I think, I’ve finally found out what it’s about. I’ve always wondered what it’s about. I kinda always knew it wasn’t about Pancho Villa, and then somebody told me that Pancho Villa had a buddy whose name in Spanish meant ‘Lefty.’ But in the song, my song, Pancho gets hung. ‘They only let him hang around out of kindness I suppose,’ and the real Pancho Villa was assassinated.”
And all the Federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose
Townes Van Zandt first recorded “Pancho and Lefty” for his 1972 album, The Late, Great Townes Van Zandt, but it didn’t garner a lot of attention at the time. The song got more widespread exposure when it was recorded by Emmylou Harris on her 1977 LP, Luxury Liner. That version is stellar, and my personal favorite.
It was Ms. Harris’ version that caught the attention of Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, who decided to team up on a version of “Pancho and Lefty” for their 1983 duet album of the same name. Actually, the song was suggested by Willie’s daughter Lana as they were searching for one final song for the album. In Mr. Nelson’s words:
“[We were looking for] that blockbuster, you know, that one big song for a good single and a video, and my daughter Lana suggested that we listen to ‘Pancho and Lefty.’ I had never heard it and Merle had never heard it.”
Lana pulled out her five-year-old copy of Emmylou Harris’ album and Willie went into the studio that night with his band to cut the track. He had to wake up Merle Haggard, who was sleeping on their tour bus, to record his part.
Willie and Merle’s version of “Pancho and Lefty” was a huge hit. It went all the way to #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and even hit #21 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. The duo’s video of the, recorded before music videos were common, was a big factor in the song’s success.
And, for today’s daily bonus video of the day, here’s that music video. Look closely and you’ll see Townes Van Zandt himself as one of the Federales and playing the guitar in the diner scene at the end.
