Old Brother, let me take my rest, And lead this wild and wicked west, Where the river runs red with blood, Till it all dries up and turns to mud. I heard you shot a lawman down, At a card game south of Oakland town, Russell City Marshal dead, All the California papers read. You know by now, they've seen your face, Dead or alive, it's a thousand dollar race. With dust in your eyes, it's hard to see, Old Brother, I come to take you home with me. Well it didn't seem that long ago, You were breaking ground in Calico. But a miner's life just wouldn't hold, For a gambler's heart will never fold. Yeah, so you headed out to Frisco Bay, Where the miners gambled all their pay. But you never won the settle down, You just dealt your hand from town to town. A gambler's heart is bound to roam, Wherever you hang your hat is home. If I ever leave this broken land, I'll be headed home for Alabama. Well the honeysuckle smelled so sweet, And the moonshine knocked you off your feet. I dream a night of my Bella's bed, And a feathered pillow near my head. And I say a prayer for my brother Jack, Cause I know now he ain't coming back. I know by now, it's plain to see, Old Brother, I only want you to be free. With dust in your eyes, it's hard to see, And rust in your skies, it's hard to breathe. Old Brother, I only want you to be free. Old Brother, I only want you to be free. Old Brother, let me take my rest, And leave this wild and wicked west.