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Especially for Rich
As I walked out in the streets of old Edo
As I walked out in old Edo one day
I spied a young ninja all wrapped in black linen
wrapped in black linen, as cold as the clay
"I can see by your outfit that you are a ninja,"
these words he did say as I softly stepped by
"come sit down beside me and hear my sad story
"I'm slashed through the gut and I know I must die."
It was once in the shadows I used to go killing
once in the shadow I used to go slay
first it was spying, then assassinating
But I'm slashed through the gut and I'm dying today
Get six young shinobi to carry my coffin
six kunoichi to cover their trail
throw bunches of smoke bombs all over my coffin
smoke bombs so that those that seek me will fail
Then sneak along slowly
and creep along lowly
make not a sound as you carry me on
Take me to the deep forest, lay the sod o'er me
I'm a young ninja and I know I've done wrong
Then go send a message to my ninja master
and tell him the ninja that he taught is gone
but please not one word of the bushi who cut me
don't mention his name and his name will pass on
When thus he had spoken the new sun was rising
the streets of old Edo began a new day
we took the young ninja out to the deep forest
and none found the place where he lays to this day
We snuck along slowly
and crept along lowly
make not a sound we carried him on
Into the deep forest, laid the sod o'er him
for we loved our clan-mate, even though he done wrong.
As I walked out in old Edo one day
I spied a young ninja all wrapped in black linen
wrapped in black linen, as cold as the clay
"I can see by your outfit that you are a ninja,"
these words he did say as I softly stepped by
"come sit down beside me and hear my sad story
"I'm slashed through the gut and I know I must die."
It was once in the shadows I used to go killing
once in the shadow I used to go slay
first it was spying, then assassinating
But I'm slashed through the gut and I'm dying today
Get six young shinobi to carry my coffin
six kunoichi to cover their trail
throw bunches of smoke bombs all over my coffin
smoke bombs so that those that seek me will fail
Then sneak along slowly
and creep along lowly
make not a sound as you carry me on
Take me to the deep forest, lay the sod o'er me
I'm a young ninja and I know I've done wrong
Then go send a message to my ninja master
and tell him the ninja that he taught is gone
but please not one word of the bushi who cut me
don't mention his name and his name will pass on
When thus he had spoken the new sun was rising
the streets of old Edo began a new day
we took the young ninja out to the deep forest
and none found the place where he lays to this day
We snuck along slowly
and crept along lowly
make not a sound we carried him on
Into the deep forest, laid the sod o'er him
for we loved our clan-mate, even though he done wrong.
no subject
So go write a letter to my dear old mother
and tell her the cowboy that she loved is gone
but please not one word of the man who did kill me
don't mention his name and his name will pass on
There's something to be said about stealing from the best, though.
I have mixed feelings about the Cash version. It totally eviscerates the original meaning of the song by changing the last line from "for we loved our comrade even though he done wrong," but on the other hand, the verse is pure gold.
yrs--
--Ben
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